Madden '04 Empty Cupboard

[Abe Sargent]

Based partly on polls and partly on my own desires, I have decided to begin my Madden 2004 dynasty. I have always wanted to run an FOF empty cupboard dynasty, so I thought that I would try that tactic with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals stink. And they have stunk for a long time. I was born in 1976, but at the end of the season in December. Therefore, I have been alive for all football seasons 1977-2002. In my ENTIRE LIFE the Cardinals have had exactly THREE WINNING SEASONS.

1983 - 8-7-1 (As close as you can probably get to the line and yet still have a winning season)
1984 - 9-7
1998 - 9-7

Generations upon generations of draft picks have been selected by the Cardinals thinking that they will be the ones to turn around the team, or that the Cardinals are just a year or two away from greatness. Only to have their hopes dashed upon the hard Arizona ground.

Somebody once told me that football is a pendulum, that every team has up years and down years, but the pendulum swings changing karma instantly. The Jaguars were blessed, and now cursed. The Cowboys, once ordained, are now ugly. The Rams, once scorned, are now elite.

If so, then the pendulum in Arizona must have swung out so far that it achieved escape velocity, never to return.

They have never even finished a season more than one game over .500 in my life!

How can one franchise be so incompetant? Surely even a janutor could run the team better.

As such, the Cardinals make the perfect team to try an empty cupboard strategy with.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

To: Steve Winter, Editor, PFW
From: Abe Sargent
RE: Possible Financial Support

Message originally from [email protected]:

> which leads me to ask several questions of you:

Ask away my friend

> Where does the money come from?

I have no intention of revealing my income sources

> What is this vendetta against the Cardinals?

No vendetta, just facts. Face it, this team has been at the bottom so long that it can barely claim to even have fans. It hemmorges talent faster than the Expos. The Cardinals have ugly uniforms, ugly players, an ugly stadium and an ugly future.

> What is there to gain from such a venture?

What is there to lose?

> When will you make the offer?

Ideally, within the month. I still need to secure additional finances from investers and philathropists. Truly, investing in the Cardinals should count as a charitable donation to a 401(c)3 organization.

> Why reveal your plans to PFW prematurely?

I have no problem with you circulating a rumor about mysterious buyers being interested in purchasing the Cardinals. I want the public to start having wistful thoughts about the possibility of new management.

> I wish you luck.

Of course you do. It'd make a great story....


Signing off,

Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

ProFootball Weekly Rumors of the Week

We hear that some mysterious buyers might be interested in buying the Cardinals. Apparently, the possible investors are huge football fans and are targeted the Cardinals for purchase because of the Cardinals woeful history.

But, the price for the Cardinals would be expensive. Current ownership is not ready to sell the team for market value, and only a significantly higher offer would warrant a sale.

In these uncertain economic times, is purchasing a dead franchise for too much money in anybody's interest?

[Abe Sargent]

Bill Bidwell: Alright, I have called this special meeting of the Board of Directors to order. We have received a bid offer for the Cardinals. Here to explain the offer is Abe Sargent.

Abe Sargent: Thanks you. Gentlemen, you have before you a document that tracks the balance sheets of the Cardinals for the past 25 years. As you probably know, the only time that the Cardinals made money was shortly after the move to Arizona.

I have cross referenced the Cardinals' financial data with its football data. In the same span of time that attendance has dropped, fan support has decreased, player salaries have increased, our revenues have held relatively constant in real dollars. However when you account for inflation, and put all numbers in 1978 dollars, what you see is that our revenues have greatly decreased while expenses skyrocket.

Simply put, the Cardinals is the football equivalent of throwing pearls before swine.

I know that each of you must be a tremendous football fan to have had to endure years of failure both on the field and in the wallet. No one else would even be here except for fans of the game.

What you have before you is our proposal to purchase the Cardinals. Since the Cardinals do not own their stadium, the value of the team is lessened.

The latest NFL auditors have placed the value of the Cardinals at 374 million. This is an offer for 400 million even. Considering the economy, the value of the team, the poor fiscal outlook for future seasons, and the crumbling stadium, we think that this is a very generous offer.

I ask that you seriously consider it.

Bill Bidwell: Have no fears, we will. However, I must admit that since this team has been in my family for years, it has a special place in my heart and I do not wish to sell.

Abe Sargent: I can certainly understand that. Are there any questions?

Michael J. Bidwell, VP and General Cousel: Mr. Sargent....

Abe: Call me Abe. Mr. Sargent makes it sound like I have two titles and no name.

Michael: Very well, Abe then. Do you plan on keeping the Cardinals in Arizona?

Abe: I will not commit to leaving the Cardinals in Arizona. This team needs to be where fans will cherish it and attend football games. I want to sell out every game, and if I can do that in Arizona, great. If not, then I am comfortbale finding a place that meets our needs.

Nancy J. Bidwell, VP: What about the logo? The Mascot? The uniforms or helmets?

Abe: I would immediately redesign the uniforms and helmets. I might redesign the logo if I ultimately decide to keep the Cardinals mascot. However, I have no plans to do either as of right now.

William J. Bidwell, Jr.: What about increasing your revenue? Anybody can say that they want to increase attendance and revenue. What plans do you have for accomplishing such a goal?

Abe: I plan on winning. That will increase advertising as columinists and press create a buzz. Attendance will increase, thus increasing parking fees, concession sales, and so forth. My plan for increasing revenues is to win.

Nicole Bidwell: What about the staff? Rod Graves? Coach McGinnis?

Abe: No staff would have their job guaranteed beyond a one season observation hiatus that I would grant to all staff.

Bill: I am still hesitant to sell to somene outside our family..

Abe: I want to express my understanding and sympathy of your decision. However, which would honor your father better - that you and your family own the Cardinals, or that the team succeed on the field? I imagine that your father, that indeed each of you, has a passion for the game. I intend to ignite our performance on the field.

Bill: Thank you for your interesting offer. I would ask that you return home to Michigan now, so that we can peruse your information and make a decision.

Abe: Of course. Thank you for your time. Please take my offer seriously.


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

No Bid for Bidwell

John Clayton
ESPN.com


Earlier today an anonymous official high up in the Cardinals organization confirmed a rumor that a bid had been officially placed before the Cardinals Board of Directors.

"It was a generous bid," our source stated. Forbes' last estimate as to the value of the Cardinals was 374 million.

However, Bill Bidwell earlier today announced that he would never sell the team and that his father's legacy would continue to live on through the Bidwells.

"My father created this football team. Our family and children are all about football. I could never leave the business and call myself a Bidwell," responded owner Bill Bidwell.

The Arizona Cardinals have lost money in most recent years, yet despite this unsettling financial trend, the Bidwells are standing firm to their commitment to remain Cardinals.

[Abe Sargent]

Abe Sargent picks up the receiver of an old vantage office phone and is seen dialing several numbers while pretending to read the number off a clipboard in his lap. A voice answers and can be heard talking to Abe through the receiver.

Voice on Phone: Hello?

Abe Sargent: It's Abe again. The Bidwells shot down our offer.

Voice: As expected.

Abe: Of course. Now it is time to initiate our primary contingency plan.

Voice: Have you discovered what the Bidwells want? What might be a good price for the franchise?

Abe: It was easy. Listen to their public comments. You can read behind the lines and see what they truly value. Especially Bill the Senior.

Voice: I hope that you are correct.

Abe: I am confident that this plan will work. And it should cost less than we had initially hoped.

Voice: Excellent. Fill me in on the financial matters later.

Abe: I'll have someone fax them over tomorrow. For now, I'm off to bed.

Voice: Have a pleasant slumber.

Abe returns the phone to its resting place. He turns off the lamp light, creating darkness

END SCENE

[Abe Sargent]

Rumors of NFL Team Ownership Abound

John Clayton
ESPN.com

Maybe there is just something in the water. There have been few major owner changes in the past few years. A minority owner will take over the Raven next year. Dan Snyder picked up the Redskins a few years ago. But that has been pretty much it recently.

This is despite record prosperty in our nation, record breaking numbers for NFL clubs, and the like. Now, however, when the financial climate has chilled, after Minnesota Viking owner Red McCombs has had a huge for sale sign over the team for several years, the fish bite.

Within the past three weeks there have been no less than three teams in the rumor mill. Each has a different story.

Tampa Bay - The Bucs, coming off a Super Bowl victory, are possibly in flux because owner Malcolm Glazer was approved by Major Lease Baseball for purchase of the LA Dodgers. NFL rules state that an NFL owner cannot own clubs in other sports in cities other then the one in which they own their NFL club. As such, this leads some to suspect that the Bucs may be available for purchase. Or relocation to LA.

Minnesota - Red McCombs is reportedly in talks with an unknown agent for a financier for the Vikings. Minnesota was recently valued at 346 million. It is unknown what Red would actually sell the club for. However, considering that he has been actively looking for buyers for a while, one might imagine that the price would be lowered.

Arizona - Lastly, the Cardinals received an official offer earlier this week from an unknown source that was labelled as "generous." Why anybody would be interested in the Cardinals, valued at 374 million, when the Vikings are available for less baffles this reporter. Since the Vikings have a better on-field product and a cheaper price tag, it seems the better buy. However, the Bidwells rejected the offer.


It remains to be seen as to whether any of these rumors will amount to ownership changes, but you have to wonder at what exactly is going on.

[Fritz]

are you going to play the game some too?

[Abe Sargent]

Excerpt from "Minnesota Sports Live!"

Dave Sharkly: The top story on our show tonight is the sotry of ownership changes with the Minnesota Vikings. Red McCombs has reportedly agreed to sell the team to an undisclosed buyer, pending league approval. Is this good or bad for the Vikings, Sean?

Sean McCrimmon: Definately good. McCombs has been spining th wwheels of the team for the past few years, trying to keep things stable and cheap. Mice Tice as head coach is the best example of this behavior. He continued the old coaching guard plus he;s cheap and affordable. Any new owner can fire him with ease, or keep him as they see fit.

Dave: So then, where is the good? That an owner won't spin the wheels?

Sean: Right, a new owner could come in here and shake things up.

Dave: Would you buy the Vikings if you could?

Sean: Absolutely. There's no better team than the purple.

Dave: On other news, University of Minnesota basketball team retruns from a hard season where......

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by Fritz
are you going to play the game some too?


I am laying a foundation :)

-Anxiety

[bigjdotcom01]

I think that I will be lurking....nice read so far.

[mrsimperless]

I think I see where this is going... keep it up!

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by Fritz
enough with the foreplay, woman, let's get on with the pokin'

[Abe Sargent]

NFL Receives Information on Vikings' Deal

Steve Atwater
NFL.com


Earlier today the NFL received information regarding the sale of the Minnesota Vikings.

The deal is estimated at 398 million dollars, which is around 50 million more than the worth of the team. However, sources indicate that there are a few unusual wrinkles in this deal that will take the league a bit longer to certify.

Red McCombs, who purchased the Vikings seven years ago, was said to be ecstatic at the purchase price, which is over double what he initially paid for the team.

Paul Tagliabue is supposed to spend the afternoon meeting with these unknown buyers and analyzing the unusual deal. More details will follow as they emerge.

[Abe Sargent]

Press Conference, Sun Devil Stadium, 5:17 pm local time


Abe Sargent: Alright, you've been brought here today for a press conference regarding team ownership changes. I have been the unidentified source that tried to purchase the Cardinals and was just approved to purchase the Vikings a little over an hour ago. However, this deal is not like one you may normally be familiar with.

I approached the Bidwells to purchase the Cardinals out of a sense of football loyalty. The Cardinals have been so lousy on the field for so long that I felt obligated to purchase it as opposed to any other team.

However, Bill Bidwell was not interested in leaving behind the sport that his father loved. As such, it first appeared as though we were at an impasse.

However, a solution loomed on the horizon for any who sought fit to look out that far. I recognized that the Bidwells were interested in football, but not necessarily the Cardinals.

My purchase of the Vikings was approved for 398 million dollars. I then presented the Vikings and 75 million to the Cardinals ownership.

Essentially, we swapped teams, and I gave the Bidwells enough cash to make it worth their while. Please recognize that the Cardinals are a more valuable franchise monetarily than the Vikings, so a straight up trade would be unfair to the Bidwells.

Bill Senior gets a new team with a winning attitude. Essentially the Bidwells get a mulligan on the Cardinals funk. And the Cardinals get a new owner who will clean house in a most thorough manner.

Welcome to Arizona. Welcome to the future.

I'll take questions now.


Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: What are your plans for the Cardinals?

Abe: I intend on changing the entire ethic of the team. We will play hard, and work hard, and bleed hard. You can also expect some personnel changes, but I cannot comment on that more fully at this time. As I just purchased my team, I need a chance to review the player and coaches before making decisions.

Sarah Albertson, Channel 7 News: What about players? Are you going to cut or sign any players?

Abe: This is the official new Arizona Cardinals Cardinal Rule for reporters - Do Not Ask Me a Question That Has Already Been Answered. Next time it happens, I'll ask Channel 7 to send a real reporter. I don't have time for footsie. To read back my comments, "You can also expect some personnel changes, but I cannot comment on that more fully at this time. As I just purchased my team, I need a chance to review the player and coaches before making decisions."

Fred Sanders, Arizona Weekly: Where did you receive financial backing?

Abe: Now that is a highly intelligent question, unlike its predecessor. Unfortunately, I am unable at this time to divulge my sources. I acquired my wealth prior to making an offer, and as such, I do not have to reveal my tax information as per NFL rules. Although it is certainly possible that my financial backers will not mind me revealing their identity later, I cannot even predict that that will ever be so.

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: When will you take over ownership duties?

Abe: Tomorrow morning after all of the paperwork is completed. Red McCombs and Bill Bidwell, Sr will be having their own press conference from Minnesota at noon tomorrow local time.

I intend to be a very visible owner. Imagine me more like Jerry Jones and less like Bill Bidwell.

I have to leave you now. You will have ample time to ask more questions in the next few days. Our public relations coordinator is available at the rear of the room to schedule more intimite one on one interviews. Have a great evening!

[tucker342]

Like Jerry Jones but not as stupid, and hopefully less plastic surgery!

Great stuff so far!:D

[Abe Sargent]

From an internal scouting document:


The Arizona Cardinals Roster, sorted by position and ability:


QB Jeff Blake, 78 Ovr
QB Josh McCown, 64 Ovr
QB Preston Parsons, 48 Ovr
HB Emmitt Smith, 81 Ovr
HB Marcel Smith, 78 Ovr
HB Damen Anderson, 62 Ovr
HB Travis Prentice, 61 Ovr
FB James Hodgins, 85 Ovr
WR Bryant Johnson, 75 Ovr
WR Anquan Boldin, 71 Ovr
WR Kevin Kasper, 71 Ovr
WR Jason McAddley, 70 Ovr
WR Bryan Gilmore, 69 Ovr
WR Larry Foster, 63 Ovr
WR Marquise Walker, 61 Ovr
TE Freddie Jones, 82 Ovr
TE Steve Bush, 62 Ovr
TE Mike Banks, 54 Ovr
LT L.J. Shelton, 81 Ovr
LT Kendrick Rogers, 56 Ovr
LG Pete Kendall, 88 Ovr
LG Cameron Spikes, 63 Ovr
C Frank Garcia, 67 Ovr
C Jason Starkey, 65 Ovr
RG Leonard Davis, 95 Ovr
RG Chris Dishman, 65 Ovr
RT Anthony Clement, 77 Ovr
RT Raleigh Roundtree, 63 Ovr

LE Fred Wakefield, 70 Ovr
LE Dennis Johnson, 66 Ovr
RE Kyle Vanden Booch, 73, Ovr
RE Calvin Pace, 72 Ovr
DT Wendell Bryant, 76 Ovr
DT Russell Davis, 71 Ovr
DT Marcus Bell, 65 Ovr
DT Barron Tanner, 64 Ovr
DT Kenny King, 60 Ovr
LOLB Raynoch Thompson, 75 Ovr
LOLB #45, 68 Ovr
MLB Ronald McKinnon, 80 Ovr
MLB James Darling, 68 Ovr
MLB Tony Gilbert, 58 Ovr
ROLB LeVar Fisher, 73 Ovr
ROLB LeVar Woods, 52 Ovr
CB Duane Starks, 85 Ovr
CB David Barrett, 73 Ovr
CB Renaldo Hill, 67 Ovr
CB Coby Rhinehart, 62 Ovr
CB Robert Cromartie, 53 Ovr
FS Darrell Jackson, 83 Ovr
FS Michael Stone, 65 Ovr
SS Adrian Wilson, 87 Ovr
SS Justin Lucas, 66 Ovr

K Bill Gramatica, 79 Ovr
P Scott Player, 94 Ovr

[Abe Sargent]

Abe Sargent: I don't believe that I ever truly appreciated how absolutely horrid the Arizona Cardinals are. That is why I have summoned you here this evening. It's time we had a chat about our problem. Coach, you wanted to say something?

Dave McGinnis: Thanks, sir...

Abe: I told you to stop calling me that. Call me Abe.

Dave: Yes sir, uh...Abe. Anyway, I wanted to say that these guys play their hearts out and their butts off. They may not have the talent, but football is about teamwork and emotion. These guys have the desire and drive. They have heart.

Abe: Coach McGinnis, with all due respect, football is about ability and execution, not emotion. Mad, happy, crying, in love; I don't care, so long as you catch a ball and wrap up when you tackle. These guys cannot execute. Most of these receivers couldn't catch a cold in a rainstorm. These defensive linemen couldn't find the ball carrier if it was pitch dark with a spotlight on the guy. And these quarterbacks couldn't find due north with a compass and a flashlight. Let alone try to find downfield.

And Rod, to be frank, I place a lot of blame for this situation on your shoulders. We have two good football players. A punter and a guard. And you cannot build a team around a guard and a punter.

We've had contract snafus, extended holdouts, and we've exported talent like Cuban Cigars. Our drafts look anemic, and when we do strike gold we lose the player to injury, free agency, or poor coaching.

Rod Graves, Vice President of Football Operations: Sir, I cannot take all of the blame...

Abe: Rod there is enough blame here for everybody. From the waterboy to the previous owner, from the quarterbacks to the rookies, this entire organization has bought into the ideal of mediocrity. What have you folks done to build a better franchise? Drafting, negiotating, coaching and playing have all suffered under the previous regime. Now it changes.

Everybody's job is up for review this year.

The Bidwell exodus left the following positions open, four generic Vice Presidents and the General Counsel. It's time for some organization here.

Rod, as of today you supervise only the scouting and contract negotiating staff. I will now supervise the head coach. Dave you are the direct supervisor of your coaches, but I will hire and fire them, with your advice of course.

I will make the personnel decisions here regarding players. For too long the Cardinals have been rudderless. I am your rudder.

One of the open VP positions will become an Administrative VP position who will supervise clerical staff and support staff. Another open position becomes the public relations VP. This means the Director position is no more, sorry Luis, but you will assume the role of VP in the interim, and that's a promotion, with a corresponding increase in pay. The third VP position will be the VP of Health, supervising the cooking, medical and training staff.

I am cutting the fourth VP position. I will post the General Counsel opening and VP openings tonight. Interviews will begin after the season begins, except for cousel which we will hire immediately.

This ship has just been tightened. Thanks for your time.

[Godzilla Blitz]

I'm reading!

[JeeberD]

Be kind to Emmitt please. Maybe you could find it in your heart to send him back to the 'Boys...

[Abe Sargent]

Rod Graves gingerly knocks on Abe Sargent's open office door. Abe looks up, his face not registering anything at the sight of Graves.

Rod Graves: Do you have a minute?

Abe Sargent: Sure thing, Rod, have a seat. How can I help you?

Rod: Well, you have taken away so many of my job responsibilities. The coaches, trainers, medical staff all report to others. Only the scouting staff still reports to me. In addition, you have taken away personnel decisions. So all I am now is a glorified scouting director.

Abe: Can I ask you a question, Rod?

Rod: Sure...

Abe: I took away 80% of your power and authority three days ago in front of everybody else. Why did you wait three days to come to me?

Rod: Well, I wanted to be sure that I was about to do the right thing.

Abe: If I am not going to be the de facto GM round here, then whoever is must have the assertiveness necessary. You have proved to me that you haven't.

Rod: I have my resignation here.

Rod hands Abe a white envelope

Abe: Thanks you very much. I'd like your office cleaned and available in three days.

Rod: Yes, sir.

Abe: And Rod....?

Rod: Yes?

Abe: This was never about you, it's just business.

Rod: Certainly.

Rod Graves turns and walks out of the office

[Abe Sargent]

The New Arizona Cardinals Organizational Chart:


Owner - Abe Sargent

Reporting to Abe Sargent:

General Counsel - Vacant
Head Coach Dave McGinnis
Director of Scouting - Vacant
VP of Health - Vacant
VP of Public Relations Luis Zendejas, Interim
VP of Administration - Vacant



Owner Abe Sargent also makes all personnel decisions regarding players.

Reporting to Coach Dave McGinnis:

All assistant coaches, position coaches, and assistants.


Reporting to the Director of Scouting:

All scouts.


Reporting to the General Counsel

Two paralegals


Reporting to the VP of Health:

All trainers, all medicial personnel including doctors, interns and nurses, team cook.


Reporting to the VP of Public Relations:

All community relations staff, sales and marketing staff, public relations staff, player relations and video director.


Reporting to the VP of Administration:

All equipment staff, groundkeeper, front office staff, information technology staff, accountants and administration assistants.

[Abe Sargent]

Interview Script from 1080 AM, Sports Talk Phoenix

Matt Winslow: And we're back with Abe Sargent, the brand new owner of the Cardinals. Good to have you Abe.

Abe Sargent: Good to be here Matt. I like the Arizona air.

Matt: You've never lived in Arizona before, have you?

Abe: My first time in Arizona, ever, was when we arrived to offer to buy the team from Bill Bidwell that first time.

Matt: Gotta tell you that it's great to see Bidwell gone. That man was a curse on the franchise. I have no idea how the Vikings will respond to having him at the helm, but I doubt it will be good. I have heard that Rod Graves resigned as the football operations chief, correct?

Abe: Correct. I have assumed all of his duties except I will hire a new Director of Scouting position to supervise the scouting staff.

Matt: I'm a bit leary with a brand new owner with no football experience taking over the Cardinals GM role.

Abe: The easy answer to that is to think of Bidwell. How could anybody do worse?

Matt: A good point to ponder. What's next on the agenda?

Abe: Arizona's players have bought into this culture of failure. I am about to correct that problem.

Matt: How so?

Abe: I am not at liberty to say right now, but trust me, it'll be huge. Maybe the biggest football story of the year. I'll keep you posted, don't worry.

Matt: Alright, tantalizing tips fom the new owner of the Cardinals. Next up is Diamondbacks scout Carlos Mendez. We'll ask him just exactly how the D-backs have identified and grown such tremendous talent in such a short span of time....

[Abe Sargent]

Cardinals and Vikings Trade Good for Everybody

Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

When the new owner of the Arizona Cardinals, Abe Sargent, broke the news that his purchase of the Vikings was merely to gather collateral to trade for the Cardinals, many of us in the sports writing business wore a collective puzzled look.

This is not the time of economy to purchase major sports franchises, especially to trade a decent on field team for a lousy one. The Cardinals may be the ultime fixer-upper, but this is football not real estate.

However, in the past few days, we've begun to think that maybe this isn't such a bad deal for all sides.

Red McCombs, the previous owner of the Vikings, sold the team for a tidy profit, more than doubling his initial investment.

The Vikings traded an owner who viewed the team like a stock option or a CD for an owner who truly cares about the sport and grew up in it. Already, Bill Bidwell has taken steps to distance himself from his previous failed administration in Arizona.

Bill Bidwell is able to excise himself from a cursed team. If he can bring sucess in Minnesota, then every element of the Cardinals will have changed, including the location and fans. Bidwell has a chance to start over.

Abe Sargent was able to acquire the team he truly wanted from the beginning. His attempts to scour the team of its previous stench have already resulted in a massive reorganization of the team and the resignation of Vice President of Football Operations Rod Graves.

Arizona staff and players know that a new owner has come to roost who can help them rise from the muck. Abe Sargent appears cut from the same cloth as the current reigning triumvirate of team owners that keep power for themselves and excerise bold moves - Jerry Jones, Al Davis, and Dan Snyder. The league needed another vivacious, charismatic and quirky owner. Especially in the land fo the sun.

And lastly, Arizona fans have reason to hope for the first time in....well...ever.

This looks to be a win-win situation for everybody.

[Abe Sargent]

Press Conference from Sun Devil Stadium, 10:07 am local time


Abe Sargent: I have called you all here this morning to make a major announcement. I expect that it will take everybody by surprise. It may be the largest sports news item of the year, or at least the biggest football story.

For my entire life, the Cardinals have had 25 seasons. During those 25 seasons, the Cardianls have had exactly three winning seasons where they were, at most, one game above .500. That is not a winning attitude. That is abject failure.

This is failure that simply cannot be tolerated. An atmosphere of failure, of acquiescence has permeated the team. There is only one way to remove this disease from our team.

When a limb becomes this infected, the doctor amputates, severing the limb from the body. As of today, right now, we are handing walking papers to every player in an Arizona uniform except for two. Emmitt Smith will remain our HB and Leonard Davis has been traded to the Detroit Lions for their first round draft pick next year.

I know that this action may seem extreme, but this is a team that hasn't been within a gasp of a winning season in ages. This team has forgotton how to play football.

I intend to bring in players who know how to win, who want to play football, who will go that extra mile necessary. We have lined up a large number of interviews and workouts today and the over the next week. No Cardinal, or rather, ex-Cardinal, will be elligible for the team.

Any questions?

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: Whay would you cut rookies or free agent signings that had yet to play in a Cardinals uniform?

Abe: Except for Emmitt, I was unsure about any plauer's desire for football. WHy would a player take $500,000 more to play for a bad team? Obviously the money. I don't want money grubbers, I want football players.

Astra: But how does that apply to the rookies?

Abe: Rookies have already given in to the concept of losing, based on my discussions with them and staff.

Fred Sanders, Arizona Weekly: Why not trade more players than just Leonard Davis and recoup draft picks?

Abe: This time of year, most teams are up against the salary cap. Most teams are not able to make large deals. Detroit was interested in our best player for their offensive line, and we made a deal with them.

Sarah Albertson, Channel 7 News: Why do you feel that such a drastic measure was needed?

Abe: Why do you feel the need to ask dumb questions?

Sarah: There is no such thing as a dumb questions becau...

Abe: Did they teach you that at journalism school? There certainly is such a thing as a dumb question - namely asking a question that has already been asked. I don't shy away from teh hard questions, justt the dumb ones. You've already been warned. Channel 7 news will need to send someone with intelligence if they want to get a reporter in this room again.

Jason, Jamar, please escort Sarah out of the building. Now, where were we? Ah yes, questions...

Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: In addition to winners and players, what other qualities will you be looking for in your new team?

Abe: We will be looking for several things. Experience. Hunger. Drive. We will also be making several high profile signings.

Arizona fans have had to watch substandard teams play ball for far too long. This year they will be rewarded for their patience.

I would like to announce the newest signings for our team at this point. Gentlemen, as I speak your name, would you come out?


Wide Receiver Antonio Freeman! We wanted a name receiver. Antonio was one of the best receivers in the league, and we still believe that he can suceed at the highest levels of competetion.

Kick/Punt Returner Desmond Howard! We expect to use Desmond, not just as a returner, but as a backup receiver. He has always been one of the top echelon of returners ever in the game.

Kicker Gary Anderson - The league's highest point scorer of all time joins us as a Cardinal.

Cornerback Eric Davis - One of the most eilite corners of all time will bring a veteran experience in our secondary along with....

Cornerback Deion Sanders!!! Hey Deion. Joining our team is of the greatest football players ever! Deion Sanders will be lining up for the Cardianls in the fall.

We will also be looking for other big name veteran talent. This afternoon we have Leon Searcy, Richmond Webb, Qadry Ismail, and Chester McGlockton coming in for workouts and physicals. If they pass, each will be signed to a contract today.

Folks, it's the beginning of a brand new Cardinals team.

Welcome aboard!!!

[GrantDawg]

If I had the money, I'd give Anxiety the money to buy a team, just to see him talk to the press this way. Funny suff!

[Bee]

I wonder what the record is for the most posts in a dynasty without actually playing the game? :D

[John Galt]

Originally posted by Bee
I wonder what the record is for the most posts in a dynasty without actually playing the game? :D

I was wondering the same thing.

[JeeberD]

Go Emmitt! (Damn traitor that he is... :mad: )

[Abe Sargent]

Cardinals Release Entire Team

Steve Stowers
Arizona Sun, Sports Editor


In a startling move, new owner Abe Sargent released almost every player of the Arizona Cardinals. It was a move he termed the "sports story of the year."

He may be right.

Never has an owner cleaned house so quickly and thoroughly. Every player was given walking papers save offensive guard Leonard Davis, who was traded to the Detroit Lions for their 1st round pick next year and Emmitt Smith, who will remain the starting HB in the Fall.

The reverberations of this move might be heard for years to come around the NFL. However, we know one thing for certain - this owner wants to sever all ties with the past of Arizona, a past that includes way too many loses.

In the short term, he has announced the signings of severl older free agents who have impressive resumes and the drive to keep playing. Suiting up for the Cardinals this fall will be Emmitt Smith, Deoin Sanders, Eric Davis, Gary Anderson, Antonio Freeman, Qadry Ismail, Leon Searcy, Richmond Webb, Chester McGlockton, Chidi Ahanotu and Bryan Cox. So at least football fans will recognize the players.

But truly, Abe Sargent has decided to rebuild this team like an expansion team - starting with nothing. Considering all of the patches and rebuilding years this team has had, maybe its about time someone had a plan. But what a painful plan this is.

The Cardinals are forever changed. So is football.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by JeeberD
Go Emmitt! (Damn traitor that he is... :mad: )

Dude, I'm not even a Cowpies fan, and I can tell you Emmitt was the betrayed, not the betrayer. All he did was shoulder the load for a couple of Super Bowls and become the all-time leading rusher in history, and, basically, Jerry Jones patted him on the head and offered him a nice cozy spot on the bench and a pathetic contract. You can't blame a modern legend for refusing to be the backup for Troy Hambrick. :rolleyes:

[Abe Sargent]

Selected Posts from a Front Office Football Central Forum Post entited "Cardinals cut Everybody!!!"


Marmel: About time someone scoured out the infection in the Cardinals and replaced it with clean bandages.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Airhog: Whoa! I haven't seen turnover this bad since I opened that spoiled egg for breakfast two years ago.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fritz: Now they just need to change their name, city, and coach.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JeeberD: Emmitt Smith will have to bear the load. Go Emmitt!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Galt: Remember that Abe didn't cut everybody, just most of the players. When a limb becomed infected bady, you cut it off. But the rest of the body remains healthy. It's the same concept here, the players were amputated, but the staff remains.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Godzilla Blitz: Maybe Abe Sargent has played FOF or writes here, because he must have gotten the idea for an Empty Cupboard from somewhere! ;)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bee: That's funny, a real life FOF player/owner. Wonder if he'll avoid using the franchise tag because its too cheesy?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kodos: I herby move that Skydog make Abe Sargent an honorary member of FOFC!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skydog: I have created an account for Abe Sargent and given him the title of "The Official FOF Player/Cardinals Owner."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

tucker342: With a guy this random running the Cardinals, I wonder if he'd want us FOFC guys to work for him?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anxiety: I have sent off my real life resume to him. I figure that he might actually want one or two of us for his real life Empty Cupboard Scenario. After all, we have more experience than anyone else!!!!!!

[Franklinnoble]

Not one colossal trout reference in that entire exchange... hardly realistic.

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS RELEASE

Cardinals Seek Resumes


The Arizona Cardinals, an Equal Opportunity Employer, are looking for individuals with the drive, energy, and ability to take on new administrative roles with an exciting new employer. Several VP positions are open, including:

VP of Administration - Must have administrative experience, accouting experience a plus.

General Counsel - Must have a law degree, negotiating experience a plus.

VP of Health - Must have trainer or medical experience, working with football players a plus.

VP of Public Relations - Must have public relations training and experience, sports relations a plus.

Director of Scouting - Must have scouting experience, football experience required.

Post any and all resumes to this thread. The Arizona Cardinals are entering a new and exciting era, and you can be a part of the team!!!

Sincerely,


Abe Sargent, Team Owner and President

[Franklinnoble]

I submit the following as evidence of my qualifications for VP of Administration:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9261

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12990

I expect to be paid handsomely for sitting on my ass and making sarcastic coments all day long.

[Celeval]

I don't have a law degree, but can BS with the best of them. Can I be General Counsel?

Kevin

[Celeval]

Oh, and if it helps, I can stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

[Abe Sargent]

From the Arizona Cardinals Web Page


Your new Arizona Cardinals!!!


QB Jamie Martin, 69 Ovr, 3.06 mill/2 years
Danny Wuerffel, 67 Ovr, 2.99 m/2 years
Jim Druckenmiller, 59 Ovr, 790k

HB Emmitt Smith, 81 Ovr, 8.03 mill/2 years
Terry Kirby, 69 Ovr, 1.89 m/2 years
Terrell Flecher, 63 Ovr, 1.50 m/2 years
Delvin Joyce, 57 Ovr, 450k

FB Larry Centers, 88 Ovr, 1.9 mill/2 years

WR Antonio Freeman, 76 Ovr, 2.24 mill
Qadry Ismail, 73 Ovr, 1.68 mill
Scottie Montgomery, 66 Ovr, 950k
Desmond Howard, 64 Ovr, 1.91 m/2 years
Mac Cody, 54 Ovr, 680k

TE Pete Mitchell, 73 Ovr, 830k
Damon Jones, 59 Ovr, 1.32 m/2 years
Mike Lucky, 57 Ovr, 680k

LT Richmond Webb, 77 Ovr, 3.74 m/2 years
Jeremy McKinney, 59 Ovr, 1.28 mill/2 years

LG Wally Williams, 80 Ovr, 3.99 mill/3 years

C Bubba Miller, 72 Ovr, 1.94 m/2 years
John Romero, 64 Ovr, 870k
Zack Quaccia, 58 Ovr, 570k

RG Leon Searcy, 77 Ovr, 1.18 mill
Kipp Vickers, 64 Ovr, 830k
Kerlin Blaise, 59 Ovr, 720k

RT Earl Dotson, 71 Ovr, 2.42 mill/2 years
Waverly Jackson, 69 Ovr, 1.05 mill

LE Chidi Ahanotu, 73 Ovr, 2.55 mill/2 years
Stalin Colinet, 58 Ovr, 700k

RE Kendrick Office, 68 Ovr, 1.88 mill/2 years
Grant Irons, 61 Ovr, 870k

DT Steve Martin, 81 Ovr, 2.2 mill
Chester McGlockton, 78 Ovr, 1.74 mill
James Lee, 56 Ovr, 570k
Nate Hobgood-Chitt, 49 Ovr, 680k

LOLB Canute Curtis, 70 Ovr, 2.42 m/2 years
O.J. Brigance, 58 Ovr, 810k

MLB Bryan Cox, 77 Ovr, 3.74 mill/2 years
Tony Gilbert, 58 Ovr, 620k

ROLB John Thierry, 72 Ovr, 2.64 m/2 years
Corey Moore, 59 Ovr, 640k
D.D. Lewis, 55 Ovr, 550k

CB Todd Lyght, 83 Ovr, 8 mill/3 years
Deion Sanders, 78 Ovr, 2 mill
Eric Davis, 68 Ovr, 900k
Emmanuel McDaniel, 64 Ovr, 800k
Ray Green, 59 Ovr, 550k
Davis Sanchez, 58 Ovr, 550k

FS Marcus Robertson, 81 Ovr, 2.93 mill/2 years
Kevin L. Williams, 58 Ovr, 720k

SS Blaine Bishop, 78 Ovr, 2.46 mill/2 years
Anthony Dorsett, 69 Ovr, 950k

K Gary Anderson, 83 Ovr, 990k
P Matt Turk, 81 Ovr, 830k

[JeeberD]

Nice to see you bring Larry Centers back. At least there will be one player there that the fans will know well...

[Abe Sargent]

Press Conference from Sun Devil Stadium, 12:09 pm


Abe Sargent: You should have had time to pickup and review a copy of the new team roster. Today is mainly reserved for questions, and I have no real statement to begin us with. I assume that there are a lot of questions out there....

Sandy Alderman, Channel 7 News: Who will be your starting quarterback this season?

Abe: Let me start off by thanking you, Sandy, for coming today to represent Channel 7 News. Your intelligence is in another time zone compared to the last person your station sent. To answer your question, we will head into Training Camp with Danny Wuerffel as our starter because he has the most starting experience, but all of our positions are very open. There are no given starters heading into camp.

Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: Do you have reservations about the new player's cohesion? How will they come together as a group?

Abe: They will have all of training camp together. That's as much time as any rookie or new free agent acquisition has, so I don't see much of an issue here.

Sam: But they are creating a new team dynamic, instead of being grafted onto an existing one.

Abe: True. And with most teams, that would be an issue. But do you really want the old Cardinals to stick around despite all new faces? I sure don't.

Fred Sanders, Arizona Weekly: How many of these players will be lasting beyond this year?

Abe: However many are good enough to.

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: I've noticed that you have very few rookies. How do you expect to build a team for the future without the potential for growth?

Abe: That's a very astute question, Astra. The simple answer is that we don't, not this year. There simply were not many good unsigned rookies around. I promise you that next year you'll see a lot of youth.

Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: Will Deion Sanders be a headache?

Abe: All of our guys are here to play. None will become a distraction, that I promise. If they do, you can be assured that I will end the distraction.

Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: Was the bringing in of major players with old and illustrious careers an attempt to sell more tickets with a bad team?

Abe: It was a chance to sell more tickets, sure. I'll admit that happily. But we may not be as bad as some pundits think. Besides, Arizona fans deserve to see Hall of Fame players in Cardinals uniforms in their lifetime.

Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: You graduated from West Virginia University. What are your plans for fellow ex-Mountaineer Canute Curtis?

Abe: We'll work him hard. He may very well start for us, but that remains to be seen in camp.

Shalonda: Akthough most of these players have one year contracts, I see that several have two or three year contracts. What does that mean for your long term plans for this franchise?

Abe: All players with muliple-year contracts can be the backbone and foundation of a team. For example, FB Larry Centers signed a two year deal with us. Larry is a great FB, so we wanted to lock him down for two years. Even if they are moved down a depth chart, they still represented great value.

Alright folks, that's all the time I have. Keep asking those good meaty questions.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by JeeberD
Nice to see you bring Larry Centers back. At least there will be one player there that the fans will know well...

Centers is an amazingly good FB and we are glad to have him on our team. He suffered for so long on the bad teams, and he proved to us in our interview that he had fire and passion - qualities all too often missing in ex-Cardinals. I am truly surprised that Centers was still available in free agency, and he may be our most talented player.

-Anxiety

[General Mike]

What is your estimated cap penalty for the 2004 season?

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by General Mike
What is your estimated cap penalty for the 2004 season?

I am right up against the cap. You'll note that I have no high priced agents and such. My accountants gave me a balance sheet somewhere, but I can't find it as my desk is cluttered. Been on the job for a couple of weeks and already my desk is a mess. There's a lot of paperwork to being an owner.

I hope that we don't need mid-season help in an area.

-Anxiety

[Buzzbee]

Originally posted by Anxiety
In the short term, he has announced the signings of severl older free agents who have impressive resumes and the drive to keep playing. Suiting up for the Cardinals this fall will be Emmitt Smith, Deoin Sanders, Eric Davis, Gary Anderson, Antonio Freeman, Qadry Ismail, Leon Searcy, Richmond Webb, Chester McGlockton, Chidi Ahanotu and Bryan Cox. So at least football fans will recognize the players.

This isn't an NFL Franchise. It's an Arizona retirement home!!!! That's the only way they would come to Arizona is to retire! :D

[Abe Sargent]

Abe Sargent: Coach, how are the fellas?

Dave McGinnis: They look fine. You asked me to bring you the traing camp report?

Abe: Sure did. Let's see the report.

Dave McGinnis: Here ya go!

Report on Training Camp Improvements

QB Jamie Martin - We focused heavily on Jamie Martin. He improved his throwing accuracy by 3% after a lot of precision passing drills.

QB Danny Wuerffel - Despite heavy attention in pocket presence drills, Danny failed to gain any skills.

OLB Canute Curtis - After heavy work in the Chase and Tackle drills, Canute showed the greatest improvement of any player with an increase in his Awareness of 4%.

CB Eric Davis - An increased focus on his ball swatting skills gained Eric a 25 increase in Acceleration.

K Gary Anderson - Gary spent the camp working on his kicking skills. His kicking accuracy increased by 3%.

P Matt Turk - Matt spent a lot of energy working the coffin corner kicks all camp. His kicking accuracy increased 2%.

FB Larry Centers - Larry was our focus in the ground attack drills as a ball carrier. His Agility increased 3%.

WR Antonio Freeman - Although Freeman was our focus in cathing drills, he failed to increase his abilities.

LG Leon Searcy - In the trench fighting drills, Loen Searcy worked really hard but failed to increase his abilities.


That sums the players that we focused on this traininc camp.


- Coach Dave McGinnis

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS RELEASE

Cardinals Unveil New Home Uniforms

One of the first initiaves of the new owner, Abe Sargent, was completed today as the Cardinals unveiled the new home uniforms.

Modeled by Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Qadry Ismail, the new uniforms sport a modern look to go with the new era of the Cardinals. Owner Abe Sargent has promised a seperation with the history of the past with this franchise, and new uniforms are the next step.

The new home uniform features the new red of the Cardinals used on all marketing and official products. The new red is darker. The old red was quite bright, often blindingly so in the Arizona sun.

The new uniforms also have one of the latest trends in uniform design, a white stripe across the shoulders from neck to mid-arm that seperates the front and back sections of the jersey. The new numbers are an old style look, and black and grey trims have been added in several areas to highlight the new uniform.

Many players and fans have already complemented the new look. Defensive Back Deion Sanders said that, "This new uniform makes me look even better than before." And an old school Cardinal in Fullback Larry Centers agrees, "This new home uniform is only the most recent symbol of change with the Cardinals."

The Cardinals are expected to debut new away uniforms during the preseason. These uniforms will be in line with the new style, and will also feature the trim and highlights, along with the new Cardinal red.

[Abe Sargent]

The Cardinals hire Celeval as new General Counsel. The other positions will be filled closer to the season opener.


-Anxiety

[Celeval]

Sweet! I'll do my best to make sure we're not sued.

Oh, uh, I do get my own personal box, right?

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Preseason


Ticket prices were lowered across the board by three dollars, except for boxes which were lowered by $300 dollars.

I decided not to get involved in the preseason playing at all. I let Coach McGinnis and his staff make all of the calls, substitutions and so forth.

We finished the preseason 1-3. Of course, pre-season doesn't mean much of anything, but I think that we began to make progress towards the end of the preseason as the team came together for a win against Chicago in the third week.

We had several people get better as the preseason went on, but not too many because our team is old, not young. According to Coach McGinnis, they are:

C John Romero, +1 Overall
RE Grant Irons, +2 Overall
DT James Lee, +2 Overall
MLB Tony GIlbert, +2 Overall

As you can see, there's not been a lot of imporvement in skills during this preseason. However, considering that our team had a lot of team to get to know each other, I think it was still highly valuable.

-Abe Sargent

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: New Hires


After some conversations, I have come to an agreement with Mike Ackerley to be our new Director of Scouting. Mike was currently the Director of College Scouting at Tennessee but here he willl also control professional scouting as well. With an suitable increase in remuneration as well. Mike has been with Tennessee for three years as their head College scout, was with the Rams for a season as their Director of Pro Scouting, and spent 8 years with Tampa as their West Coast College Scout. Mike was a perfect candidate. He's been both College and Pro top dogs, he has worked with some of the best franchises out there and been very powerful. The Titans and Bucs have both built Super Bowl teams with the draft under his guidance. And the Rams did very well with free agent acquisitions under his watch as well.

All other positions will remain open for the present time. They are not essential and I want to make sure that our search is thorough.

-Abe Sargent

[Abe Sargent]

The following conversation was held after the Cardinals opening week loss to the Detroit Lions, 17-13.

Abe Sargent: Coach, have a seat. I though we had discussed starting Jamie Martin, not Danny Wuerffel. Jamie outplayed Danny in the preseason and in camp as well.

Dave McGinnis: We had, but my gut said go with Danny.

Abe: My gut says go with Jamie. And I'm the owner. Jamie will start next week and he will continue to do so throughout the year unless something happens to cause us to reevaluate the situation, understood?

Dave: Yessir.

Abe: I would have liked to win my first game, but it was close. I have a feeling that not too many more are going to be.

Dave: This team has a lot of fire.

Abe: Are you positive on everybody?

Dave: Why go through life being so negative? All it gets you is wrinkles.

Abe: But you have a lot of wrinkles.

Dave: Those aren't wrinkles, they're love lines.

Abe: I don't even want to know..... Anyways, I am coaching the team next week, taking her out fo a spin. Any suggestions?

Dave: Buckle your seat belt.

Abe: Thanks Dave. Have a good one.

[Abe Sargent]

"Hey Dad, how ya doin'? We hosted the Seahawks in our home opening debut this week."

"Yep, like I said. I coached the team this week."

"Well, we lost. Pretty badly. The Seahawks scored 52, we scored 10. It was close in the second quarter when we were down 17-10 but then they broke the game open. They returned two fumbles for touchdowns and returned two punts for TDs as well. Nothing we can do when we spot the opposing team 28 points."

"Yeah, Qadry Ismail, one of my two starting receivers had over 150 yards receiving. That was probably our highlight of the day."

"On yeah, WR Scottie Montgomery has a broken ankle. He's supposed to be out for 8 weeks. He was deep on our depth chart, though. Not much of an impact on us."

"No, I don't think I'll pick up anybody else for now."

"Huh?"

"It's called Injured Reserve, but it doesn't work the way you think it does. We lose the player for the season if we toss them on IR."

"No, I'm not going to touch concession prices, parking fees, and so forth. I lowered ticket prices a bit before hte season began. I'll take a look at the stuff later, when I have time."

"Nope, not much left."

"Alright, have a good one."

"Bye-bye"

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Week 3's Victory

Coach MicGinnis really proved himself this past week with our victory over the Packers in Green Bay. We stole that game, the Packers were looking past us to next week.

Never have the numbers 38-24 held such meaning for me.

Injuries to the team are minor. Coach McGinnis has won himself another start or two, then we'll take another look at the situation and make some decisions.

However, I intend to coach the next game to get my feet wet.


-Abe Sargent

[Abe Sargent]

Cardinals Suffer Major Week 4 Loss

Stephen Hernandez
Sports Editor
Arizona Sun

The 1-3 Cardinals were devastated in St. Louis yesterday. The Rams piled a season high 66 points against the Cardinals while the team in red managed only 10 points.

This loss is the most lopsided in the first four weeks of the season. The Cardinals play was weak all day. Gary Anderson missed a 47 yard FG, Jamie Martin tossed two picks, and the offense fumbled twice.

Meanwhile, the defense couldn't stop the Rams. St. Louis only punted twice in the game, scoring on almost every possession.

And there is no real highlight for the Cardinals at this point. However, you've got to hope that the team will gel together quickly soon.

It's not like Arizona fans went into this season with high hopes, and we have won a game already. But you have to hope for more than what was showed yesterday. You just have to hope.

Coach Dave McGinnis is supposed to call the game next week. We'll see how he does.

[Abe Sargent]

Post-Game Press Conference, Week 5, from Sun Devil Stadium


Abe Sargent: Well folks, we are sitting at 2-3 after five games and we are alreaady doing better than most pundits thought. Our shutout today of the Dallas Cowboys has got to show something important about football.

Fred Sanders, Arizona Weekly: Abe, you defeated an 0-5 Cowboys today, what does that say about Arizona?

Abe: It says that we are better than Dallas. We also beat the Packers in Green Bay, both quality wins.

Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: Who is calling the game next week?

Abe: I'm on the rotation for next week, of course.

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: Are you concerned that both of your loses were blowouts while McGinnis is 2-1 with the squad?

Abe: I don't believe that we have a sufficently large sample size to start drawing conclusions, Astra.

Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: Do you have any intention to place Scottie Montgomery on IR or to sign another receiver.

Abe: No plans at this time. Scottie should be back in 6 weeks or so. If that estimate changes, then I will, of course, reassess the situation.

Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: Both of your wins were on the road. What does that tell you?

Abe: It tells me nothing more and nothing less than two of the four away games we've played have been victories. We've only played one home game so far, and I think that's a bit too small a number to start drawing assumptions from.

Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: What does the tendancy for Jamie Martin to throw picks in away games coached by yourself say?

Abe: Okay folks, let's get one basic thing straight. Sabermetrics has no place in football. I'm trained in stats folks, so listen to this. You cannot draw statistically valid conclusions from only 16 games. In Baseball, you play enough games that observable patterns emerge. Not so in football. Everything here is an anomaly.

Ever wonder why football seems rife with so many one-year wonders? Basketball and baseball have so many less, after all. It's because you can easily hit a hot spot for a majority of a 16 game season. It's much harder to sustain a streak for 80, 100, 120 games.

And sitting after the fifth game of the season, you can't even make small assumptions, conclusions or extrapolations. It's just five games, folks. Just five games.

I have to go, you guys have fun now....

[Travis]

Wuerffel..........

Wuerffel..........

Wuerffel..........

And the chant has begun.

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation with the dog:

"Hy buddy. We hosted the Ravens in week 6.

Deion Sanders picks off their first possession. ISmail drops a 3rd and 8 that would have been 10 yards for a first down and Anderson misses a 49 yarder.

Deion picks off another Ravens balls and returns it 40 yards to the 12. First down Ismail drops a 9 yard curl. Second down Emmitt drops a 3 yard hitch when he was wide open. Third and ten and ball is tipped and intercepted by Peter Boulware who runs it back for a TD (how come Deion gets tackled but not Boulware?)

7-0 Ravens when it should be 10-0 Cardinals if not for dropped passes by my receivers.

3rd and 15 on our next possession after a sack and a run for nothing and I roll right under pressure from the Ravens defense. Jamie Martin fires a pass to Antonio - complete! 31 yards!

Two runs by Smith and we're in FG range! Then Martin is sacked after a run is brought down behind the line bringing up another 3rd and 15 on the 34. Martin overthrows Ismail for a 18 yard completion that may have gotten knocked down by a D-Back anyways.

To FG or not to FG? Obviously, we punt. I suck at kicking FGs.

Touchback. End of first Quarter, 7-0 Ravens.

CB Blitz hits the Ravens QB and forces him to throw away on third down. We get the ball back.

Ismail catches a crucial 3rd down completion on a rollout after pressure came up the middle.

On the next play, I make a bad read and toss the ball to what appeared to be an open Damon Jones in the endzone only to have the safety grab the ball and pick it off. The saftety was next to a receiver ina crossing route, so I thought he was man'd up, not in zone. I read the defense wrong and suffered for it.

Score is still 7-0.

We force the Ravens to punt after their second consecutive three and out.

I run it up the middle with Centers on a 3rd and 1. Freeman drops a 10 yard pass completion on a curl route the next play. Then Damon Jones (my #2 TE) nabs a streak up the middle for 17 yards and gives us 1st down at the 2.

1st and goal from the 2 should be a TD every time. Emmitt up the gut, good blocking, TD!!!!

7-7.

The Ravens answer with a 13 play drive and their first offensive score of the game to go up 14-7 with 1:26 left in the half.

We get a 1st down and call TO after Smith plunges it up the middle on 3rd and 2 after also cathing the first down pass for 8 yards and out of bounds.

Two incompletetions bring up 3rd and 10. I have Pete Mitchell wide open three yards short of the 1st but easy to run after the catch but Martin overthrows Mitchell.

Baltimore break a good run for 20 yards or so then play pass ball until they get in FG range at the half. Stover kicks a 47 FG as time expires.

Half time, 17-7 Baltimore.

We hold Baltimore who punts with a Touchback. Centers drops a 3rd and 4 pass for 5 yards and we go three and out.

Jamal Lewis breaks a 66 yard run for a TD on the first play. Ravens 24-7.

We kick an Anderson FG after 3 first downs to cut the score to 24-10 in the middle of the third quarter.

But that's the last score of the game. Emmitt fumbles. So does the Ravens. They miss a FG.

Game ends 24-10."

[Abe Sargent]

Interview with Quarterbacks Weekly, 1090 AM

Dave Attel: And we welcome owner of the Cardinals Abe Sargent via phone. Welcome to the program.

Abe Sargent: Thanks Dave, nice to be on the show.

Dave: So tell us about the loss to the Ravens last week. Martin threw two picks. Do you bench him?

Abe: Jamie is 2-3 with a brand new team. Danny Wuerffel is 0-1 with a new team. Martin was sharp last week. He threw one pick. But he was rolling around the pocket, making good reads, it was pretty good.

Dave: He had a really low completion percentage.

Abe: Because so many of his teammates dropped passes. He overthrew Pete Mitchell and Qadry Ismail on two third downs. That was not good. But Freeman, Ismail, Jones, Smith and Centers all dropped crucial Martin passes. He was finding open receivers, they just weren't making plays.

Dave: So what do you think the solution is?

Abe: Players. We need better players. Right now, we lack guys who can make the curcial catch, and what does Jamie look for when they don't?

Dave: Jamie Martin does spread the ball out pretty well.

Abe: Sure does. Emmitt Smith, Larry Centers and Delvin Joyce all caught balls from the backfield. Damon Jones and Pete Mitchell both caught passes as tight ends. Antonio Freeman, Qadry Ismail and Mac Cody all caught balls out of receiver positions. Considering our team and its lack of quality depth, that's pretty good I think.

Dave: How long does Martin start?

Abe: As long as he plays games, doesn't get injured, an ddoesn't play so stupidly that no one would want to start him.

Dave: That's a pretty faithul answer. You have a lot of faith in Jamie.

Abe: I have more faith in Jamie than in Danny or Jim to get things done. In coachspeak, "Jamie is the player that's most likely to help us win ballgames right now."

Dave: That's very clever. Thanks a bunch for joining us from your office, I know you must be very busy.

Abe: Anytime

[Abe Sargent]

Cardinals Cannot Fly


Steven Hernandez
Sports Editor
Arizona Sun


New Cardinals owner Abe Sargent must be depressed with the way that the Cardinals played Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Cardinals lost 28-10 after Coach McGinnis made a poor call in the fourth quarter going for it on 4th and 8 while down by eleven with 7:12 on the clock. The 49ers stopped the Cardinals and scored on the ensuing drive.

The controversy did not stop there as center Bubba Miller was injured on a special teams play after an illegal blobk in the back, which apperently, the officials did not see.

Bubba Miller has been placed on injured reserve for the season.

Apparently the team did not improve after its bye week last week.

[Abe Sargent]

Various posts from a Fan's Chatroom:


"We host the 2-5 Bengals. Good luck to us.

"Bengals start with the ball on their own 28. Their first play from scrimmage is a 19 yard run up off tackle with Dillon. After a lot more running and just one pass play, they score a TD on a Dillon 5 yard sweep right."

"Curtis looks ill"

"7-0 and we haven't even gotten the ball yet. Might be a long day. "

"Martin tosses a pick on the first passing down, 2nd and 12. He lost the LB in the defense and tossed the ball right to him. Ick."

"Bengals score a second rushing TD to go up 14-0 with 3:24 left in the first."

"He's going, going, going...."

"On the kickoff, Delvin Joyce runs it back to the Bengals' 26. Excellent starting field position for our offense."

"I'd call a run here"

"Smith gets a yard."

"Martin is sacked for a loss of 7, and we are facing 3rd and 16."

"Pass to Freeman but he is double covered. Ismail is in tight man coverage but it's forced into his hands. The D-Back knocks him hard and he can't hold on. Another crucial 3rd down drop that would have been a conversion."

"Anderson tries the FG for 50 yards. And Anderson just makes it!!!"

"14-3 Bengals."

"The Bengals ensuing drive to start the second quarter is ended when Deion picks off Kitna after Kitna was hit as he threw."

"Our chance for momentum is here. But we'll need some first downs."

"Four consecutive runs brings up 2nd and 8 from the 19. I run a pass pattern out of the Singleback Big. Martin sees TE Pete Mitchell in one-on-one with a LB and launches it over the LB into Mitchell's hands. He stumbles across the goalline. TOUCHDOWN!!!!"

"14-10."

"Then we force the Bengals to go three and out! Momentum baby!"

"After a first down, Martin gears back and tosses a simple pass to Ismail on a 7 yard curl. Ismail is hit, the ball is popped up into the air, and the defense comes down with it."

"The Bengals ruin our momentum."

"On a crucial 3rd and 6, Sanders allows himself to be caught way out of position and Warrick catches the ball and runs it to the 1 where Sanders tackles him."

"A run later the Bengals score. 21-10."

"We go three and out and punt after the Two Minute Warning blows for the half. "

"Bengals spread the field, Warrick breaks a Deion tackle and scores a TD. We have to start doubling Warrick."

"28-10 Bengals."


"In the second half, Freeman catches on fire grabbing three first down conversions on our way to a FG in the third quarter. 28-13 Bengals, with the only score in the quarter being our FG."

"Another heavy defensive quarter results in the final score being 28-16 Bengals."

"We are now at 2-6."

"Fun season though."

[Abe Sargent]

Radio Excerpt

...and the Arizona Cardinals lose again today, this time in Pittsburgh as the Steelers defeat the Cardinals 27-10. The Cardinals just can't seem to catch a break, and a team that was once 2-3 is now 2-7 and in a tailspin.

In other news...

[Abe Sargent]

Coach Dave McGinnis to his friends over a beer


"We play at the 6-3 Browns. Arizona begins with the ball. On third and 6 Martin scrambles for 5 second or so before hitting Freeman as he returns to the QB. Freeman is hit and fumbles the ball.

We challenge.

The call stands, and the Browns have the ball at my 30.

The Browns score a rushing TD 6 plays later after being helped by a 15 yard facemask penalty on the defense.

7-0 barely into the game.

On our first play of the second possession, Martin hits Larry Centers for a 9 yard completetion but he gets 16 yards after the catch and breaks two tackles doing it.

We start pounding it. Smith. Centers. Smith. Martin. Smith. Arizona sets up an ACE Streaks play out of the Singleback formation. We get single coverage on Pete Mitchell 20 yards downfield and Martin tosses it. The Cleveland back makes a good move and picks off the ball.

We force Cleveland to go three and out and start again. Smith. Dump to Smith. Centers. 1st Down. Smith. Incomplete. Ismail drops pass. Punt. Ball Bounces out at the 6.

Cleveland has 94 yards to go. We hold them to three and out again.

We also go three and out and punt back. End of first quarter.

After Cleveland gets a pair of conversions, our secondary strips the ball and recovers. We get the ball on our 38. But wait, the Browns challenge!!!

And they win. Browns run, run, run more, then pass for the TD as Deion Sanders gambles on a pick and misses.

14-0 Cleveland with 7:01 in the half.

We convert on 3rd and 12 with a pass over the middle to TE Damon Jones. 9 yard pass to Freeman on a Play Action, then a Smith run up the gut and we get conversion #2 for this drive.

Dump off to Smith when the rush is on but he runs it for 8 yards after the catch. Smith off tackle for conversion #3.

Incomplete pass as 3rd WR Cody drops the ball. We open our bag of tricks and run a HB toss - Emmitt Smith to Freeman. Pass is poor and defense breaks it up. 3rd and 10. We run a TE Streak off the Singleback formation and flip sides. Mitchell gets 1:1 coverage and Martin hits him for 12 yards and the 1st down Conversion #4.

Smith run off a 4 WR set. Centers drops a pass for the first. 3rd and 8. Ismail catches a 10 yard curl out of the Singleback Big Formation. Conversion #5.

Two Minute Warning.

Smith end run on weak side. Centers up middle. 3rd and 6 on the 9. Pro Form formation switched, pump and go. 3rd down halfback Delvin Joyce is unmarked. Martin hits him four yards downfield and he runs it in. Touchdown!!! 16 plays and 70 yards.

14-7 Browns with 0:38 to go in the half.

Kickoff is out of bounds. Three pass plays later Cleveland is in the endzone.

21-7 Browns. 0:16 left.

With three seconds left in the half, Martin launches up a deep ball with a prayer. Cleveland picks it off, returns it for 20 yards, then fumbles. Ismail recovers the fumble.


Cleveland gets the ball to start the second half. Sanders is beaten by Kevin Johnson on the second play from Scrimmage of the half and its a TD. 28-7 Browns.

After two conversions, we turn it over on downs when Martin's pass is off target while he scrambled away from the defense. Cleveland ball on the 37.

Cleveland moves the ball but ultimately punts.

We go three and out after a sack of 7 yards. Poor punt from the endzone gives the Browns the ball with good position. Browns score TD through air on first play of fourth quarter.

Deion was injured and left but short return shortly. Great.

We move down the field quickly but Martin tosses a pick which was really a good read to an open receiver but a defensive player made a tremedous flying leap to grab out of the air. Cleveland marches down field and look unstoppable. Until we stop them on the 1 yardline and they get a field goal.

38-7 Cleveland.

The game ends with Cleveland up 45-7."

[Abe Sargent]

Interviews locals gave to Channel 7 News


".....I mean, really, is losing to the Rams that much of a surprise? 34-13 here at Sun Devil. Heard Desmond is out for 3 weeks and Marcus Robinson is questionable. Yeah, they suck. Same ol' Cardinals. But there's a lot of hope for next year...."


"Ticket prices are down and we get to see some of the biggest names in football play. We may not win much, but its still enjoyable."

"I don't care who the owner is, these are the same Cardinals."

"Dave McGinnis is simply not the kind of coach that owner Abe Sargent needs."

"They should try and build for the future next year. We've always had next year wistfully, but now, we have greater reason to hope."

"I ain't ever gone to no Cardinals games, and I don't expect to do so now."

"We've torn off the bandage, so there's a little blood. But Abe Sargent wants to heal this team."

"Emmitt Smith is the man. So is Deion. We need more like 'em."

[Abe Sargent]

Phone Call in Abe Sargent's Office

"Coach McGinnis? Hello. I have some news for you. First of all, I have signed WR R. Jay Soward for our team to help us in the return game and receiving.

Why? Well, since Desmond Howard is out for a few weeks, and Scottie is questionable, I decided to sign some help for you. R. Jay is signed for the rest of the year, and that's it.

I don't think that we'll have any behavorial troubles with him. He knows that he needs to prove himself if he wants anyone to sign him for a larger contract.

Oh yeah, the bigger news. I am turning over the reigns for the remainder of the season to you to coach as you see fit. No interference.

Your welcome.

Good luck. And may God have mercy on your soul."

[Travis]

Oh where for art thou Danny?

[Abe Sargent]

Poster on a dorm wall at Arizona State:

Cardinals Schedule.....


Week 13 at Bears L 15-14
Week 14 at 49ers L 34-16
Week 15 PANTHERS W 26-24
Week 16 at Seahawks L 56-6
Week 17 VIKINGS W 24-6

[Abe Sargent]

Playoffs:

Dolphins at Steelers 16-24
49ers at Vikings 17-27
Patriots at Bills 26-34
Packers at Giants 3-17


Bills at Raiders 7-50
Giants at Seahawks 17-31
Steelers at Jaguars 14-27
Vikings at Buccaneers 17-41


AFC Championship:


Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders



NFC Championship:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks


Raiders over Jags 24-14

Seahawks over Bucs 34-7


Your Super Bowl Matchup:


AFC Champs Oakland

versus

NFC Champs Seattle


Raiders 19
Seattle 10


Oakland Raiders are your Super Bowl Champs.

[Abe Sargent]

Awards:

Pro Bowl NFC Fullback #2 Larry Centers.


That's it

[Abe Sargent]

Cardinals Balance Sheet:

Income:

Tickets - 22.4 mill
Concessions - 2.5 mill
Parking - 1.1 mill
Merchandise - 2.2 mill
NFL Shared Revenue - 62.2 mill

Total Income - 90.4 million

Expenses:

Player Salaries - 57.2 mill
Staff Salaries - 2.7 mill
Stadium Maintenance - 16.1 mill

Total Expenses - 76 mill


2003 Net Income - 14.4 million

[Abe Sargent]

Stats:

QB Jamie Martin tossed 23 picks and 12 TDs. And 2900 yards.

WR Freeman and Ismail both had over 1000 yards receiving.

DT Chester McGlockton with 8 sacks, DE Chidi Ahanotu with 7.

CB Deion with 5 picks, CB Lyght with 4.

Other stats are poor for the year with our holdover team. Next year, we care again.

[General Mike]

Are you going to import draft classes from NCAA?

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by General Mike
Are you going to import draft classes from NCAA?


Nope.


Originally posted by Travis
Oh where for art thou Danny?


Danny Wuerffel is not an answer. When you see Jamie's stats at the end of the season (almost 3k yards, 1:2 TD:Int ratio) you realize that Wuerffel is not a solution. Wuerffel has a lot of starting experience and he is almost at where Jamie currently is with Jamie only having like 3 or 4 games of strating experience prior to this year.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Closing Press Conference, 2003 NFL Year, Sun Devil Stadium

Abe Sargent: Today's press conference is mainly a Q&A time for you guys, so I'll open up the floor for questions.

Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: What was your best memory this past year?

Abe: Buying a football team.

Shalonda: On the field?

Abe: Larry Centers going to the Pro Bowl.

Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: Why didn't you start other players as the season went along?

Abe: Why? For development? We have nobody to develop. We started our best players, including Jamie Martin. There was never any sense in benching anybody. Remember, regular football logic did not apply to this season.

Fred Sanders, Arizona Weekly: What did this season teach you?

Abe: A lot about running a ball club. I learned a lot of valuable skills that will be useful as we head into the post-season and beyond.

Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: A team with all new players went 4-12. What are your goals for next season?

Abe: Good question. We'll have a lot of turnover after this season. Remember that we will have a lot of dead cap room for next season. And you won't see much high profile action during the off season for us as a result. With a large young corps coming in and a lot of our current players leaving, this team will have just as much inexperience working together as a team. As such, 4 wins next year may also be reasonable.

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: What are you looking for in the draft?

Abe: Way too early to tell, but our number one off-season goal is to acquire a franchise quarterback using whatever methods are available to us.

Astra: Any ideas who?

Abe: None. Maybe through trade, maybe free agency, maybe draft.

Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: Will Emmitt Smith be the feature back nextyear despite only getting 539 yards rushing this year getting only 2.29 yards per carry?

Abe: Remember that Smith's stats were hampered by our lack of an offensive line. We may also acquire a major running back through some method or another. Other than maybe Larry Centers, no player on our roster is guaranteed to start next year. And most of our free agents will be allowed to leave with our thanks for a fun year.

Sandy Alderman, Channel 7 News: Will Coach McGinnis remain on the team?

Abe: Sandy, everybody is up for review.

Nesmit McCall, 1080 AM Sports Talk Radio: Do you intend to restructure the office any?

Abe: Not right now, but we may look at that in the future.

Elizabeth Satterly, Flagstaff Daily Mail: You've tried to sever ties with the old Cardinals by firing all of the players, letting Rod Graves go, changing the uniforms, and lowering ticket prices. Are you going to look at changing the logo or mascot as well?

Abe: I have yet to start doing research in that area yet, but it is a distinct possibility that the Cardinals will be no more, instead replaced by a better mascot and logo. If we keep the Cardinals mascot, we'll probably modernize the logo.

Sy Rosenberg, The Sporting News: What is the liklihood of the Cardinals leaving Arizona altogether?

Abe: No one wants to leave Arizona. We need to get a stadium deal done, that's true, and it's a bit contentious. But no one here wants to up and go.

Alright folks, that's it for today, have a good one!

[Travis]

Originally posted by Anxiety
Danny Wuerffel is not an answer. When you see Jamie's stats at the end of the season (almost 3k yards, 1:2 TD:Int ratio) you realize that Wuerffel is not a solution. Wuerffel has a lot of starting experience and he is almost at where Jamie currently is with Jamie only having like 3 or 4 games of strating experience prior to this year.

-Anxiety

Heh, doesn't mean that the fans don't want to see Wiffle on the field, throwing the ball like only he can. I've always had a soft spot for the guy is all.

[Abe Sargent]

Dave McGinnis Fired

Rod Sewell
Associated Press

In a move that surprised hardly nobody, Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dave McGinnis was fired from his position. The Cardinals were purchased late last summer by Abe Sargent.

Dave McGinnis was in the last year of his contract, and would have been entering a lame duck year. In his three seasons with the Cardinals, Dave has coached records of 7-9, 5-11, an now 4-12.

It's highly common when an owner takes over that he put his own people in charge. Holdover coaches and general managers are often let go. Vice President of Football Operations Rod Graves resigned a little over a week after Abe purchased the team in late summer.

Abe Sargent has stated that his interview process will be very open, "I have no clue who to hire, so I'll want to intervew a lot of candidates."

Changing coaches is merely the most recent attempt by the new management to sever all ties to a woefull Cardinals history. In July, the owner fired all players except one, and brought in a brand new slate of players.

[Abe Sargent]

Press Conference from Sun Devils Stadium, 4:09 pm


Abe Sargent: I have interviewed eight candidates for the head coach position of the Cardinals and I am pleased to introduce our new Head Coach - Monte Kiffin!

I have here a signed contract for 3 years and 4.06 million for Monte, who has been one of the most well known assistant coaches for ages around the league.

Our next coach is Defensive Coordinator Pepper Johnson. Pepper has been the Linebacker Coach for the Patriots for the Belichick era. He will get his chance to shine for us here. We signed him for 630k annually for two years.

Our last coach is Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis. Charlie joins us from several years as the Patriots Offensive Coordinator, and was the Offensive Coordinator for the Jets before that. He signed a 2 year, 800k annually contract with us.


You can ask questions of any of us.


Sy Rosenberg, The Sporting News: This question is for Monte. Why leave behind a Super Bowl winning organization for the uncertainty of the Cardinals?

Monte Kiffin: I'm 64 years old and I've never been a head coach in the NFL. Before I die, I'd like to know what kind of head coach I'd make.

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: This is for Charlie. Charlie, the Patriots choose not to renew your contract after winning a Super Bowl with them. What was is about Arizona that brought you here, and why did the Patriots let you go?

Charlie Weis: The Patriots were looking to head in other directions. As for Arizona, I wanted to continue as an Offensive Coordinator, and Abe Sargent was willing to offer me the big chair. He wanted a keen offensive mind to go along with Monte.

Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: This question is for Pepper. You were ony a coach for three years. Two as linebacker coach and one as inside linebacker assisant coach. Now you've been announced as the Defensive Coordinator of the Cardinals. What do you think of the meteoric rise through the coaching ranks?

Pepper Johnson: I never thought that I'd be this far this fast, you know? I knew I could do it, but when Abe Sargent contacted me to ask for an interview, I didn't know what to think. I mean, there is this league-wide rule to interview minority candidates, so I was wondering if my candicacy was a token...

Abe: It wasn't. All of our defensive coordinator candidates happened to be black.

Pepper: Yeah, I saw that Abe was interested in me and my credentials, which got me really pumped. And here I am.

Jamar: And what now?

Pepper: Now I prove that the trust Abe placed in me was worth it.

Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: This question is for Abe Sargent. You have hired both of your coordinator positions from the Patriots. Was there any plan to raid a team?

Abe: There wasn't any plan, no. But the Patriots are known across the league as possibly the most well-coached team out there. As such, it's no stretch to hire their ex-Offensive Coordinator and promote one of their posiiton coaches.

Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: Also for Abe, you must have had a lot of coaches interested in this position because the coaching carosel seems to rehire a lot of head coaches every year, and you were looking for a new face. Why Monte?

Abe: That's true, the people we interviewed were very excitied. If being a Head Coach in the NFL is your dream job, then it must disappoint to realize that there are only 32 dream jobs available in the world. And when half of all coaching vacanies hire a previous head coach, you realize just how hard it is to break into the team. So we had a lot of good candidates interview.

I chose Monte Kiffin despite the age factor. Other owners shy away from head coaches that are older because they fear the head coach retiring. But if any coordinator in the league, anywhere, has the pedigree and resume of Monte Kiffin, well, then I don't know that person. Monte was simply our best choice, despite his age. In fact, I like him because of his age. He had more coaching experience than any other candidate.

Nesmit McCall, 1080 AM Sports Talk Radio: This is for Monte. What are your top priorities during the off-season?

Monte: I'll take the players that Abe gets for us and coach 'em up. This is a team in transition. We need to stabilize the players and fashion them into a team. That is our highest goal.

Elizabeth Satterly, Flagstaff Daily Mail: How about a logo or mascot change?

Abe: I assume that question is for me? Well, we are looking at new mascot names right now, actually. A list of names has been compiled and we are shortening it.

Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: This is for Pepper. How do you translate 13 years of playing linebacker into coaching?

Pepper: I learned how to play, and I played. I simply teach my players how to play, and they play. Coaching is much simpler than many folks realize. You know, then you teach, then they do.

Monte: A causal chain of events.

Pepper: Yeah.

Sandy Alderman, Channel 7 News: Who will call the offensive and defensive plays?

Monte: Charlie and Pepper both call the plays when I call plays, except I can and will override them both or make "suggestions." Like last year, Abe Sargent may also insert himself into the playcalling for a game here and there.

Abe: We're going to start like last year on a rotational basis with Monte and me.

Alright folks, thanks for your questions, and welcome agains to our three new coaches.

[Abe Sargent]

To: Abe Sargent
From: Admin
Re: Retired Players


As expected, many of our players retired after this season. They include:

K Gary Anderson
FB Larry Centers
CB Todd Lyght
CB Deion Sanders
HB Emmitt Smith
CB Eric Davis
HB Terry Kirby
RG Kipp Vickers
WR/KR Desmond Howard
CB Emmanuel McDaniel
HB Terrell Fletcher
RT Earl Dotson
LOLB O.J. Brigance


-Admin

[General Mike]

Emmitt :(

[Abe Sargent]

Large Number of High Profile Retirements

John Clayton
ESPN.com


As the NFL continues to pass on the torch from age and experience to youth and energy, this season's retirement list boasts what may be the highest profile list of retirees ever for one year.

Need NFL records? How about Shannon Sharpe, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith or Gary Anderson? Each of these players leads the NFL all time in important categories. Anderson is the all time points leader, Smith the leading rusher, Sharpe the leading catcher for tight ends, and Rice has, well, just about every possible receiving record.

In five years, we may see each of these players in the Hall of Fame.

And how about Deion Sanders? Won't he be a virtual automatic Hall of Fame player as well? A player with as many dominating performances would probably also have a good chance for Canton.

Rod Woodson? As good a player in the secondary as you would want. A man wise enough to extend his career by switching positions. Is there a possible shrine for Rod in the Hall as well?

Rich Gannon, two years removed from an MVP season has also retired. And although there probably won't be a spot for the man in the Hall of Fame, the league has still lost another element.

For another cornerback, Aeneas Williams is also calling it quits. Aeneas has suffered for a long time on a poor team. Will that overcome his absolutely dominating performances as a corner when it comes time to vote for Canton?

Sean Landeta has been one of the best punters of all time. Kickers never get the credibility they deserve. Will Landeta wbe looked over because he graduated with so many big names?

How about Tim Brown? Often overshadowed by newcomer Jerry Rice, now that Timmy B. has a Super Bowl ring, will Canton ecome his home? Few receivers have been as consistent over their career as he has.

Bill Romanowski's exodus will leave a hole in the personality department of the NFL. Like Shannon Sharpe, his on the field and locker room presense were amazing, but his career has been highlighted all too often by incidents of a less pleasant nature.

Morten Anderson, the other Anderson, is number two all time in points scored in the NFL. Will either Anderson be the most recent kickers to enter the Hall of Fame? And will Morten be remembered or lost behind the more well known Gary?

Bruce Smith was a fixture in four Super Bowl teams with the Bills. The last star of that dynasty, will he join teammate Jim Kelly in the Hall of Fame?

Vinny Testaverde. Ed McCaffrey. Roman Phifer. Larry Centers. William Henderson. Chris Chandler. Doug Flutie. Sam Gash. Desmond Howard.

So many people have left a wide rift of talent in the sport. Oh yes, the youth movement continues. But our sky has lost a lot of stars this year.

[Abe Sargent]

Memo From Mike Ackerly


According to our reports, the following players became better or worse during the season:

QB Jamie Martin, +1% overall
Danny Wuerffel, -2% overall
Jim Druckenmiller, -5% overall
WR Antonio Freeman, +1% overall
Qadry Ismail, +1% overall
Scottie Montgomery, -7% overall
Mac Cody, -2% overall
TE Pete Mitchell, -3% overall
Damon Jones, -4% overall
Mike Lucky, -4%
LT Richmond Webb, +1%
Jeremy McK9inney, +1%
LG Wally Williams, -1
C Bubba Miller, -3
John Romero, +2
RT Waverly Jackson, +2

LE Chidi Ahanotu, +2
Stalin Colinet, -5
RE Kendrick Office, +5
Grant Irons, +2
DT Chester McGlockton, +2
James Lee, +5
Nate Hobgood-Chitt, -7
LOLB Canute Curtis, +4
MLB Bryan Cox, +2
Tony Gilbert, +5
ROLB John Thierry, +3
Corey Moore, +4
D.D. Lewis, +6
CB Ray Green, +4
Davis Sanchez, -6
FS Marcus Robertson, +2
Kevin Williams, -4
SS Blaine Bishop, +3
Anthony Dorsett, +3

P Matt Turk, +2

[Abe Sargent]

The phone rings. Abe Sargent sets down his book, moves over to the right side of the couch, and picks it up.


Abe Sargent: (To phone) Talk to me.

(Through the phone can be heard the voice of Mike Ackerly, Director of Scouting)

Mike Ackerly: We may have a problem.

Abe: What would that be?

Mike: I just heard that Marcus Robertson is holding out for a better contract.

Abe: You cannot be serious.

Mike: I am.

Abe: How did you hear this? I want to know how good the information is.

Mike: I have a note that was handed to one of our staff. The note says, "I'm holding out for a better contract. Love, Marcus."

Abe: Succinct.

Mike: Indeed.

Abe: Alright, get our General Counsel Celeval on the phone. We will need to do a little analysis early.

Mike: Consider it done.

[Abe Sargent]

Accounting Memo:


We have 20.65 million is cap penalties from last year. Our current salries are at 39.86 million. That leaves us with 42.64 million in cap room.

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation with Mike Ackerly


"After a grueling session, we have decided to sign Marcus to a brand new contract. 3 years for a total of 5.75 mill and 1 mill signing bonus.

"Now, I'd like an assessment of our positions, please.

'This is our position memo? Excellent.



Memo About Current Status

Quarterback - We have both Jamie Martin and Danny Wuerffel on the roster for this year. Both make a good amount of money. We could save a lot against the cap by waiving one or the other or both. Recommendation - Keep Jamie, release Danny, find two quarterbacks.

Running Backs - A slew of retirements have decimated our running back situation. We have no running backs on our roster, and only halfback Delvin Joyce is available as a free agent. Joyce was never a great player. Recommendation - Find abrand new slate of halfbacks and fullbacks.

Receivers - We have no receivers on the roster for this year, although practically all are available as free agents. Freeman and Ismail each had 1000 yard seasons last year. It might be worth it to keep one or both around for this year. Recommendation - Try to sign Ismail and Freeman.

Tight Ends - Only Damon Jones is on the roster, and he is costing us 1.5 million total. A cheaper backup would be nice. Recommendation - Release Damon and find three new Tight Ends.

Offensive Tackle - Richmond Webb is older but very good. We have both Webb and Jeremy McKinney for the roster this year. Waverly Jackson is acceptable on the right side, but a better player would be nice. Recommendation - Resign Jackson if cheap enough, find a permanent RT and backup.

Guard - Wally Williams is currently on our roster and has starting level ability. Leon Searcy acquitted himself well last year and is a free agent. Both are acceptable starters but not impressive. Recommendation - Resign Searcy, find good future projects or backups.

Center - Bubba Miller was injured and lost a step. Although he is on our roster, the almost 2 million he is due to recieve is not worth his effort on the field. Recommendation - Release Bubba and find all new centers.

Defensive End - Chidi Ahanotu and Kendrick Office, both starters from last year, are on our roster. Although neither will knock you over, both are acceptable. Recommendation - Find future starters or backups.

Defensive Tackle - No players are currently under contract. Steve Martin is good enough to start in this league. McGlockton overachieved last year and may be worth bringing back as well. D Line needs youth, though. Recommendation - Resign Martin, maybe McGlockton, find young players

Linebackers - LOLB Canute Curtis is arguably our best backer and under contract. Bryan Cox is also under contract and arguably our best backer. John Thierry is a good solid ROLB and under contarct as well. Recommendation - Find backups and future starters.

Cornerback - With deficiencies created by retirement, corner is critical becuase there are no players under contract. Brand new corners need to be found, and found now. Recommendation - Find a load of corners including two starters.

Safeties - With Marcus Robertson under contract for three years, that position can be considered set. Blaine Bishop is also under contract and is a good player. Recommendation - Find backups, maybe future starter at SS.

Kickers - We need a kicker to replace Gary Anderson. Matt Turk is good and we should resign him. Recommendation - Resign Turk, find starting caliber kicker.

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS RELEASE


Five players resigned.

Five of Arizona's free agents were resigned today after a week of deliberation with agents from all five players. The players were signed simultaneously in order to make sure that enough cap room was available to fill the roster.

These five players all excelled on the field last year after being picked off the proverbial free agency scrapheap. These five players will continue as Cardinals.

"We needed some experience and continuity on the team and I'm proud to sign each of their names to paper," beamed Abe Sargent, the team owner.

The returning players and their contract numbers are:

Punter Matt Turk, 3 years, total of 2.8 million inc. 250k signing bonus.

Wide Receiver Antonio Freeman, 3 years total of 7.75 million inc. 990k signing bonus.

Wide Receiver Qadry Ismail, 2 years for 3.2 million inc. 800k signing bonus.

Offensive Guard Leon Searcy, 3 years, 3.5 million inc 570k bonus.

Defensive Tackle Steve Martin, 4 years, 8.1 million inc 1.20 bonus

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS RELEASE

Cardinals Hire Ketchman

Today the Arizona Cardinals announced the hiring of Vic Ketchman as the new Vice President of Public Relations.

Vic has been with the Jacksonville Jaguars since their inception, providing Internet and radio analysis of the team. Before that he was a beat reporter with the Steelers.

In addition to his duties as the new VP of Public Relations, Vic Ketchman will also have a voice in the war room. "His views in 'Ask Vic' are standard reading material for GM wannabes across the league," owner Abe Sargent was quoted as saying.

Vic Ketchman has been hired just as the Jaguars prepare for scouting the NFL Combine.

[Abe Sargent]

The War Room, Pre-Combine Strategy Meeting

Abe Sargent: So then, we are agreed that the positions of greatest need are quarterback followed by corner followed by halfback?

Mike Ackerly: Agreed. Although, personally, I'd order them corner, halfback, quarterback, 1, 2, 3.

Monte Kiffin: You said we have the staff to scout out 15 rookies initially?

Mike: Yes. Then we can get the stats from the Combine and scout out either 15 more rookies or further investigate some of the previous rookies we looked at. Then we can do that one more round. So, basically, we can scout 45 rookies once, 15 rookies three times, and anything in between.

Abe: And we'll know what scores players get only after we scout out the first 15.

Mike: Right.

Vic Ketchman: Since we hold the second and third overall picks, we can look at getting two high impact guys right from the start. Problem is, Carolina picks before us.

Monte: Which means that we can pick the top three players in the draft and get two of them.

Abe: It also means that a QB may be gone.

Vic: Exactly. And Mike, how many first round caliber quarterbacks are there in this year's draft?

Mike: One. Maybe two.

Monte: So we may not get a QB.

Abe: Should we try and trade the 3rd overall for a QB?

Vic: Rams let Bulger go into free agency. We could sign him.

Mike: I prefer that we pick a QB instead of sign one off free agency.

Monte: Why? To go through painful periods of growth? To get an unproven commodity? To pay just as much off a 2nd overall pick contract as a free agent?

Abe: Good points Monte.

Mike: But Bulger, or another free agency QB should be our backup plan. What if Bulger signs for less money to go to a winner? What if another team outbids us for his services? I say take what you can get and be satisfied with it.

Vic: So Bulger is our backup plan in case either the Panthers draft a QB, which would be Phil Nelson, or in case we don't like Phil after scouting him?

Mike: Exactly.

Monte: Fair enough. So the first person we scout is Phil?

Mike: Absolutely. Probably want to scout out Lyle Wallace too. Currently has a 1-2 draft grade, so he could go in eiher round, probably one, but you never know.

Abe: Ok, so we are scouting the two QBs. I want us to scout Mr. Shawn Johnson, the undisputed best halfback in the draft this year according to the hype.

Vic: Seems like a good idea. What abut corner? Doug Bronson?

Mike: He's supposedly the best of the bunch.

Abe: Okay, Doug then. That's four players at the top of the list to scout out. Do we want to scout out any others for our top two picks?

Mike: I can think of three more players at the top of the draft that fit into our needs, DEs Lorenzo Nelson and Neal Freeburg, and WR Dave Wiley.

Monte: Not pressing needs, although I'd like as many good receivers as I can get.

Abe: Agreed, let's look for depth. Vic, what were you saying about that corner?

Vic: CB Tamarick Grant out of UCLA. Guy is an amazing returner and could be a good late round pickup.

Mike: He has a late round grade 4th - 7th. Doesn't seem to have any deficiencies heading into the combine.

Abe: Great, let's scout him out then.

Monte: Probably want to scout some more runningbacks.

Mike: Looking at running backs, I like Josh Elliott. Looks to go 3rd-4th. Has good skills. Also like Jayson Justice and Carlton Sherry. Both have second round grades and similar stats.

Abe: Which do you like best of Jayson and Carlton?

Mike: Hmmm... Carlton.

Abe: Then scout out Carlton plus Josh. Can't focus too much on the same round. Any deep players you guys like?

Monte: Who was that Tight End we saw play in the Tangerine Bowl?

Mike: Herman Miller, from California.

Monte: Yeah, that's him. I liked him.

Mike: Has a 3rd-4th grade. Best hands of any Tight End in the draft.

Vic: Definitely should scout him then.

Abe: After looking over your reports last week, I liked Offensive Tackler Mike Myers from Baylor.

Mike: The guy with the really good technical skills?

Abe: Yep

Mike: He's graded at a 4th-7th, so it's a nice place to scout.

Monte: How many do we have set so far?

Vic: Nine by my count.

Monte: How about more corners?

Mike: Okay, for depth I like Mark Wyun from Wake Forest. Graded in 4th-7th but with good skills. For an earlier and more likely impactful selection, how about Jabari Newberry from Florida State? 1st or 2nd round pick with great skills.

Abe: Scout 'em both.

Vic: That's 11. How many halfbacks? Three right?

Monte: Right.

Vic: Fullback?

Mike: Most of the Fullbacks in this year's draft have serious deficiencies at one of the four major skill areas for a fullback. The only one who doesn't also doesn't excel in any area. How about Center? We need a starting one. Dedric Arrington from Virginia has a 1-2 grade and appears to tbe the best center in the draft.

Abe: That's good thinking. Let's revisit WR Dave Wiley at the top spot.

Vic: Scout him out as a backup plan?

Abe: Exactly.

Monte: D-Line?

Mike: RE Terrell Moore from Colorado State with a grade of 1st-2nd.

Abe: Deal. One more. Go with your other 2nd round back?

Mike: Jayson? Okay then, that's our first fifteen.

Abe: We'll meet at the combine to discover what we've learned and who to look at next.

[Abe Sargent]

Abe Sargent: He ran a 4.29? You have got to be kidding.

Mike: Not at all.

Abe: Wow. Everybody see the grin on my face?

Monte: Who ran that?

Abe: Oh sorry, gotta catch you guys up. Shawn Johnson, the supposedly best running back in the draft registered a 4.29 in the 40.

Vic: Now that's special.

Mike: Ready for this? Seven players were faster here at the combine. We'll look into that in a bit though. Shawn Johnson also had 23 bench reps, the second highest total for a halfback. Fifth best Shuttle time.

Monte: I want him.

Abe: We'll continue to scout him out. I want to find possible flaws, but he definately lies at the top of our draft board now.

Vic: Uh oh, what happened with Phil?

Abe: Fumbles a lot. We'll keep scouting him, though. Nothing really impressive about his physical stats, though. Lyle Wallace may have done just as well today.

Monte: I was at the QB throwing. Lyle showed really nice touch.

Mike: Carlton and Jayson, our two halfback prospects graded in the second round, had similar days.

Abe: Carlton had a 38" vertical though. That was a nice bonus.

Vic: Josh Elliott?

Mike: Nothing really special about him.

Monte: What about our first round receiver, consensus top receiver Dave Wiley?

Abe: 4.38 speed, par for the course. 40" vertical, nice. Let me see, above average interview. Seems like the real deal.

Vic: How about Monte's Tight End, Miller?

Mike: Slow with a 4.84 time. Also had a bad interview. Not that bright and TEs need smarts more than many offensive players.

Abe: Mike Myers was our last offensive player, right?

Mike: Nope, we have Dedric too. Mike is weaker than I thought - 25 bench reps for an O-Lineman. And a bad interview to boot. Dedric is even weaker with only 22 reps. Above average interview to make up for it, though.

Monte: What about that end?

Abe: I went to see Terrell. Nothing of any note there.

Vic: And we had four corners.

Mike: Doug is the highly touted one. 4.34 40 time. 38" vertical. 14 reps, good for a corner. Tamarick was Vic's late round special teams guy. Slow for a special teams man - 4.68 in the 40. 36" vertical, average interview and nothing really there.

Jabari Newberry may have been the best review of the four. 4.38 40 time. 41" vertical and an aboe average interview plus he really wrapped up people well in tackle drills. 18 bench reps makes him the strongest corner in the draft. The next highest score was 14, which Bronson had.

So, while Jabari came out mice, Mark Wynn, not Wyun, didn't. 4.56 speed is a bit slow. Combined with a below average interview - ick.

Abe: Who do we want to continue to scout?

Mike: In corners, we've got to keep looking at Jabari and Doug.

Abe: And Shawn Johnson.

Monte: The two quarterbacks?

Abe: Yep. Let's go with Dedric.

Mike: That it? Alright, here are some suggestions based on today's information. I prepared a printout:

Balanced Quarterback Rashard Cenci, Miami (Fl), 4th-7th round, Good Pass Strength, Great Pass Accuracy, 4.82 40, 6'1", Great interview

Balanced HB Ronnie Walker, Middle Tennessee State, 3rd-4th round, Good Run Power, Below Average Hands, 5'11", 4.28 40, above average interview

Balanced WR Jerry Harper, Clemson, 3rd, Above Average Hands, Amazing Kick Return, 6'1", 4.28 speed, Average interview

Balanced WR Jeff Young, N.C. State, 2nd, Good Hands, Above Average Kick Return, 6'1", 4.31 40, Below Average interview

Balanced LG Jamie Bryant, Oklahoma, 6'2", 2nd-3rd, Average Run Blocking, Above Average Pass Blocking, 35 reps (highest at the combine), Great interview

Run Blocking C Cris Forrest, Florida State, 6'6", 4th-7th, Good Run Blocking, Average Pass Blocking, 32 reps (best for a center), great interview

Pass Rushing RE Brad Moss, Boston College, 6'2", 2nd-3rd, average tackling, 4.58 40 (best for any DE), 3.92 shuttle run (2nd best for any DE), average interview

Balanced DT Taj Lankford, Ohio State, 6'7", 4th-7th, good tckling, 4.9 40, 4.2 shuttle, above average interview

Balanced CB Chuck Carter, Ole Miss, 6'0", 4th-7th, average tackling, below average hands, 4.32 40, 38" vertical, average interview.



Abe: You've listed nine players here?

Mike: Yep, sure have.

Vic: We have nine spots left, right?

Mike: Yep, I had my computer print out our top 9 by position.

Monte: I like it. A good, rounded mix.

Abe: Alright - let's do it.

[Abe Sargent]

Combine Meeting #2


Abe: So what did we learn?

Mike: Name me a position.

Vic: Quarterback.

Mike: Lyle proved he was good scrambler. Phil has great huddle presence in teh huddle. A true leader. Rashard reads defenses very well and does checkdowns much better than most rookie qbs.

Monte: Interesting.

Mike: Halfback we looked at Shawn some more and Ronnie. Shawn showed amazing shifty moves. Didn't learn much about Ronnie.

Abe; Receiver?

Mike: Jeff Young proved his speed. Jerry Harper is a straight line runner, not much of a guy who jukes around and the like.

Abe: Interesting. We want a guy like that returning kicks?

Vic: As opposed to a guy who runs a 4.86, sure.

Abe: Fair enough.

Monte: The trenches?

Mike: Guard Bryant needs to work on some blocking skills. Dedric takes good angles but will need to work on power.

Vic: Which we already knew...

Mike: Right. C Cris Forrest was recommended as a great leader and role model. RE Brad Moss is a finesse type end. And DT Taj seems as likely to injure as a rock.

Abe: Descriptive. That's why I like you as a Director of Scouting.

Mike: Thanks. As for corners, Chuck Carter lets mistakes eat at him and can't let them go. Doug seems very comitted to the job and works diligently to improve. He also planted and drove very well. And Jabari diagnoses reads well.

Abe: Excellent, thanks. Who to scout for the last group?


Monte: The three quarterbacks.

Mike: Fair Enough. And Shawn Johnson and Doug Bronson I presume?

Vic: Ronnie, since we didn't get much last time. Jerry and Jeff as well, probably.

Mike: Cris was good, I'd like to get more on him and Moss and Lankford.

Abe: Mike, you can pick the last five for us. Thanks. We'll welcome your final report tomorrow.

[Abe Sargent]

Final Scouting Report:

QB Lyle Wallace - Not rattled by pressure, Plummer-esque speed
QB Phil Nelson - Fit right in as a third string QB for now.
QB Rashard Cenci - Tough and durable, Mobile in pocket
HB Shawn Johnson - Makes defenders miss, protects ball well
HB Ronnie Walker - Good agility, two sport athelete who ran track
FB Tiki Mann - Doesn't have great field vision
WR Jeff Young - Straight Line Runner, Solid with room for growth
WR Jerry Harper - Productive downfield, Bobbles too much.
TE Cornell Carter - Does not have natural hands
C Cris Forrest - Engages with force
RE Brad Moss - Marginal in run defense.
DT Taj Lankford - Marginal speed, Lacks proper arm technique
CB Chuck Carter - Good Timing, Healthy
CB Doug Bronson - Jumps perfectly
CB Jabari Newberry - Abilites to compete with top receivers


- Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Chris Berman: And we are back. Who is Carolina lookin at for their top overall pick here?

Mel: Well, Chris, you never know. Carolina has been silent about their top choice. Delhomme is a decent enough quarterback, but they may go for Phil Nelson here. They could also use Ofensive Tackler help and cornerback help. So one of the many top tackles in this year's draft could go here, or a corner, which you'd have to think is Doug Bronson.

Jimmy: I really like Shawn Johnson. That kid can play football.

Mel: He's the top choice of the Cardinals, so if Carolina passes on Shawn, then Arizona gets a certified stud.

Chris: And the Commissioner steps up to the podium The first pick of the 2004 draft is coming up.

Paul Tags: With the first overall selection in the 2004 draft, the Carolina Panthers select Wide Receiver from Nebraska Leslie McPherson. The Cardinals are on the clock.

Chris: Wow.

Mel: Leslie was believed by many to be the second best receiver in this draft. He did have a good combine, but apparently, much better than we thought.

Jimmy: Does Carolina need receiver?

Chris: They have Smith and Muhammad, both older guys.

Mel: But this pick is so odd. This was a bad selection. Leslie was moving up draft boards, but probably would have been available around 8 or 10.

Chris: The Cardinals are up next. They have the #2 selection from their 4-12 record and the #3 selection with a trade to Detroit. Picks #2 and #3 overall, and they weren't even considering McPherson, so they essentially get their top two choices of all rookies.

Jimmy: They should be able to pick up some impact players here.

Chris: Now Arizona doesn't have to draft eithr player for a half hour. They have fifteen minutes for each pick, but if they pass on their first pick, they'll still be on the clock for their second.

Mel: True, but this was a dream scenario for the Cardinals, and I should think that they are ready to pounce.

Jimmy: They'll go for Shawn Johnson?

Mel: I think they will.

Chris: Doug Bronson, a corner, or Phil Nelson, a quarterback.

Mel: During the combine, they believe that they unearthed other really good quarterbacks, but few good corners. I think they'll go with Doug Bronson here.

Jimmy: Quarterback is a seductive position, however.

Chris: Here comes Tags

Tags: With the second overall selection in the 2004 draft, the Cardinals select Running Back from Florida State, Shawn Johnson.

With the third overall selection in the 2004 draft, the Cardinals select Defensive Back from Mississippi State, Doug Bronson.

The Cowboys are on the clock.

Jimmy: Hit on both players.

Chris: It's always easist to predict the top of the draft. Mel?

Mel: Shawn Johnson is one of the best backs we've seen come out in a while, and Arizona is lucky to have gotten him. Doug Bronson seems to have everything taken care of. Let's look a little more deeply into each player with a videon montage....

[General Mike]

Kiper didn't say "Upside Potential" enough :(

[Abe Sargent]

Chris And welcome back to the all-receiver draft....

Jimmy: I've never seen so many receivers go so early!

Chris: We had 14 receivers go in the first round when it was offensive tackle depth that was supposed to prevail

Mel: Big story on the quarterbacks. Phil Nelson didn't get picked until 18, Lyle Wallace at pick 28.

Jimmy: So who has fallen into the second round?

Mel: Well, because of the large number of receivers selected, three offensive tackles with first round grades are still available. We also have Fullback Tiki Mann and SS Jordan - both with first round grades.

Chris: Who does Arizona need?

Jimmy: Doesn't Arizona need just about every position?

Mel: They could use it, so they may go with a best available approach. Of they may stick with their plan. They need starting center, fullback, tight end, defensive tackle, and cornerback. Maybe a starting quarterback. That's a lot of need.

Jimmy: They're not going to go with Tiki Mann are they?

Mel: It's the only position where the players who have fallen match the Cardinals need, but no, I don't think that they'll take Mann.

Chris: Here comes the assistant commissioner

Asst. Commish: With the 34th overall selection of the 2004 draft, the Cardinals select the tackle from the University of Southern California Jon Johnson.

Chris: There you go.

Mel: They chose to go with best available here, which was a good pickup. Jon can start for them right away. He has great blocking skills, both pass and run. Not the strongest tackle ever, but he is bright and reads plays well.

Jimmy: You get a good RB, now you need a good line to run behind.

Mel: I'm surprised. They didn't scout Johnson at the combine, so it's sort of a surprise pick, but he's a good player.

[Abe Sargent]

Chris Berman: Let's recap the Cardinals draft, shall we?

Mel: The Cardinals had those twin picks at the top of the draft. With them, they picked up HB Shawn Johnson and CB Doug Bronson, both projected starters.

In the second they went with best available and snatched up Jon Johnson who fell only because receiver was such a feeding frenzy. In the third they pulled the trigger on Dedric Arrington, the center out of Virginia.

4th round was another best available selection with Defensive Tackle Reggie Fryar from Eastern Kentucky. Reggie also wasn't even scouted by the Cardinals at the combine.

The 5th round saw corner Chuck Carter get his name called. 6th was Tight End Herman Miller and Center Cris Forrest rounded out the draft in round 7.

Chris: So how would you say the Cardinals did?

Mel: B+/A- They were definately one of the better teams to make out this weekend. They got some quality players, some immediate starters, but they failed to address their need ast quarterback. Unless they feel that Jamie Martin can actually start in this league, they have to go to free agency looking for a quarterback. However, they made some good picks in the middle rounds where quality was still on the board.

Chris: Thanks Mel, now how about the Lions?

Mel: Their first rounder, of course, went to Arizona. But in the second round.....

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by General Mike
Kiper didn't say "Upside Potential" enough :(


True. True.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

From the Cardinals Website:

Meet the new Cardinals in draft order:

1st - HB Shawn Johnson, Florida State, 16.75 mill for 4 years inc 3 million bonus.

1st - CB Doug Bronson, Mississippi State, 8.5 million for 4 years inc 1.6 million bonus

2nd - RT Jon Johnson, USC, 3.5 mill for 3 years inc 570k bonus

3rd - C Dedric Arrington, Virginia, 1.75 million for 3 years inc 250k bonus

4th - DT Reggie Fryar, Eastern Kentucky, 1.85 million for 3 years inc 300k bonus

5th - CB Chuck Carter, Ole Miss, 1.10 mill for 3 years inc 160k bonus

6th - TE Herman Miller, California, 730k for 3 years inc 60k bonus

7th - C Cris Forrest, Florida State, 730k for 3 years inc 60k bonus

[Abe Sargent]

Excerpt from Rookie 2004 Draft Review from Football.com


...so that's why we wait to rate the draft until a month or so later. We want to get a chance to see the rookies in pads action during mini-camps. So, let's begin.

Arizona - Halfback Shawn Johnson is the exact player Arizona needed after putting up less than 800 total yards in rushing all last year. They ranked 32nd in the league and Shawn appears to be the answer. Corner Doug Bronson also has looked pretty good in drills. He's still a bit young, but Doug appears to have all of the upside that a player needs. Jon Johnson, their Offensive Tackle, also looks to start long term at the position. If he can work on his run blocking, this guy will be great. Center Dedric Arrington is also the likely starter for the Cardinals for the next few years.

But, after those four starters through the first three rounds, Arizona merely appears to have unearthed nothing more than backups through the other rounds, at least for now. Maybe DT Fryar or somebody will be starting caliber after a few years of growth.

The problem is that Arizona leaves the draft with a lot of holes. Quarterback, kicker, corner, fullback, tight end, receiver, and halfback. They didn't fill that crucial franchise quarterback role, which is pretty vital. But Jamie wasn't as bad of a quarterback as some people thought. He only had five starts before last season. And in his first season as a starter he threw almost 3000 yards and had two receivers with 1000 seasons. With a poor offensive line, an anemic rushing game, and poor tight end play, is it any wonder that Martin did so poorly? So, if no franchise quarterback comes from free agency, it's not as big of a loss a some people think.

The Cardinals did not fill a lot of their holes, but they had so many from last year's infamous roster purge that you can't blame them. They did well enough. B+

[Abe Sargent]

Free Agnecy Prep Memo


We need the following positions:

1 QB
2 or 3 HB
1 or 2 FB
1 TE
3 or 4 WR
1 or 2 OG
2 DE
2 DT
1 LOLB
1 MLB
1 ROLB
3 or 4 CB
1 FS
1 SS
1 K

Total of 18-20 players. 28.56 in cap room, although we can make some moves to clear up a bit if we need to.


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Free Agency Diary:

Day 1:

On the first day of Free Agency we contact our top three players:

QB Marc Bulger
FB James Hodgins
TE Cam Cleeland

We offer contracts to each and have just enough time to offer a contract to CB Ike Charlton.


Day 2:

Our bids for Bulger and Cleeland are outbid by others. We jack up our bids on both. We also make offers to some of our priorities:

Rookie Free Agent K Dexter Krause
WR/KR Michael Lewis
DT Monsanto Pope


Day 3:

We get work that Marc Bulger, Cam Cleeland, Ike Charlton and Monsanto Pope have agreed to our deals and signed with us.

We make an offer to CB Terry Fair.


Day 4:

James Hodgins and Dexter Krause signed with us.

We make an offer to RB Terrell Davis and rookie MLB Colby Solomon.


Day 5:

Terry Fair and Michael Lewis agree to our contracts and sign.

We make three offers to rookie free agents:

SS William Kinney
FS Drew Copeland
ROLB Darnay Hill


Day 6:

No action, we've made all of the offers we intend to.


Day 7:

Kinney, Copeland, Davis and Solomon sign.

Day 8:

Hill signs and is our last signing during the auction period.



-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Top Sheet off a Discarded Pad of Paper in Abe Sargent's Handwriting:

Roster Moves:

Release C Bubba Miller

Sign rookie free agents:

LOLB Eddie Shakur
DT Sean Nelson
RE Dre Fisk
LE Joey Williams


Sign experienced free agents:

CB Tyrone Carter
HB Doug Chapman
WR Dedric Ward
WR Andre King
LG Floyd Wedderburn
RG Victor Allotey
RT John St. Claire

[Abe Sargent]

Youth Movement in Arizona

John Clayton
ESPN.com

After last year's retirment home status of the team, this year a young, vibrant club is expected to play on the field. Gone are savvy vets like Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders and Larry Centers.

Although a few old men remain - Tackle Richmond Webb, HB Terrell Davis was recently signed, CB Terry Fair was also signed, and MLB Bryan Cox, the trend is definately youth, youthm and more youth.

Arizona had eight draft picks and four appear to be starting. All eight made the roster. Also making the roster were nine undrafted rookie free agents, the largest number this year by far, and the largest ever for an Cardinals team. 17 rookies are on the team in all, the largest in the league.

Owner Abe Sargent promised a significant youth movement this year and he delivered. However, this team is still largely old. Or young. There are very few players in between. In their prime.

When asked what his expectations were for this year he claimed, "To compete." New Head Coach Monte Kiffin echoed his comments, "We have to play hard every week, every down. If we lose, fine, but we have to play hard and play with heart."

The young Cardinals will determine this season's fortunes. They will decide whether the team will compete or not.

[Abe Sargent]

Can Marc Bulger Handle the Load?

Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


Earlier this year the Cardinals decided to pass on two possible franchise quarterbakcs in the draft in order to sign Marc Bulger to be their starting quarterback.

Marc appeared to lose a step last season, and never played as well as he did two years ago. If he can regain that form, then Marc will have been worth it, but can he?

In St. Louis Marc had a pari of stellar wide receivers who both had gone to Pro Bowls. Torry Holt was entering his prime and Isaac Bruce was leaving it. Yet both contributed mightily to the passing game.

In Arizona, Marc has two older wide receivers who, despite their age, both had 1000+ seasons last yera. That was with a patchwork team with the quintessential journeyman quarterback as the starter. If Antonio Freeman and Qadry Ismail can keep gas in the tank, then both could really help Marc, but there is very little help after that. The other wide receivers are a makeshift, ragged group.

The Rams had depth, at tight end, and at receiver. Marc has no depth here, and their new tight end Cam Cleeland, may not even be that great.

Marc had a pretty poor offensive line two years ago as the Rams suffered a rash of injuries. He promises to have a slightly better line here. Old age and verile youth both will start on the offensive line, and it will be rather poor in the NFL, but better than what Marc suffered.

However, Marc Bulger had an X Factor in St. Louis that he does not have now. Marshall Faulk. No matter the hype, rookie halfback Shawn Johnson is not Marshall Faulk - no one is. Although the Cardinals rededicate themselves to running the ball, the simple fact is that they will never have a Marshall Faulk to bail them out of situations.

On the playcalling side, we have no idea what Monte Kiffin and Abe Sargent will cook up, but it can't be as bad as Mike Martz's indefensible playcalling.

Marc in Arizona or Marc in St. Louis. How do they Stack up?



St. Louis Arizona

WR +
O-Line +
RB +
Playcalling +
TE +


Overall.......

St. Louis. Marc Bulger, therefore, should not expect to have the kind of year that he had two years ago.

[tucker342]

Great stuff so far!:D

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by tucker342
Great stuff so far!:D


Thanks a bunch! I'll keep trying to push the envelope and not get bogged down in Typical Dynasty Droll.


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

From the FootballRatings.com Website:


Your 2004 Arizona Cardinals:


QB Marc Bulger, 78 Ovr
Jamie Martin, 72 Ovr
Danny Wuerffel, 65 Ovr

RB Shawn Johnson, 79 Ovr *
Terrell Davis, 67 Ovr
Doug Chapman, 59 Ovr

FB James Hodgins, 80 Ovr

WR Antonio Freeman, 77 Overall
Qadry Ismail, 74 Ovr
Michael Lewis, 63 Ovr
Dedric Ward, 58 Ovr
Andre King, 56 Ovr

TE Cam Cleeland, 71 Ovr
Herman Miller, 62 Ovr *
Damon Jones, 55 Ovr

LT Richmond Webb, 78 Ovr
Jeremy McKinney, 60 Ovr

LG Wally Williams, 79 Ovr
Floyd Wedderburn, 58 Ovr

C Dedric Arrington, 71 Ovr *
Cris Forrest, 52 Ovr *

RG Leon Searcy, 77 Ovr
Victor Allotey, 59 Ovr

RT Jon Johnson, 74 Ovr *
John St. Clair, 59 Ovr

LE Chidi Ahanotu, 75 Ovr
Joey Williams, 53 Ovr *

RE Kendrick Office, 73 Ovr
Dre Fisk, 57 Ovr *

DT Steve Martin, 81 Ovr
Monsanto Pope, 76 Ovr
Reggie Fryar, 66 Ovr *
Sean Nelson, 63 Ovr *

LOLB Canute Curtis, 75 Ovr
Eddie Shakur, 61 Ovr *

MLB Bryan Cox, 79 Ovr
Colby Solomon, 65 Ovr *

ROLB John Thierry, 75 Ovr
Darnay Hill, 61 Ovr *

CB Doug Bronson, 77 Ovr, *
Ike Charlton, 68 Ovr
Tyrone Carter, 66 Ovr
Terry Fair, 65 Ovr
Chuck Carter, 59 Ovr *

FS Marcus Robertson, 83 Ovr
Drew Copeland, 62 Ovr *

SS Blaine Bishop, 81 Ovr
William Kinney, 64 Ovr

K Delvin Krause, 65 Ovr *

P Matt Turk, 86 Ovr


* = Rookies

[Abe Sargent]

Scouting Memo from Training Camp:


MEMO


The following players were focused on during camp in certain drills. The results follow:

Pocket Passing - QB Jamie Martin +1% Throwing Accuracy

Chase and Tackle - LOLB Canute Curtis - No Change

Swat Ball - CB Doug Bronson +1% Catching

Trench Fighting - RT Jon Johnson - No Change

Clutch Kicking - K Delvin Karuse +3% Kick Accuracy

Corner Punting - P Matt Turk +2% Kick Accuracy

Precision Passing - QB Marc Bulger +2% Throwing Accuracy, +1% Throwing Power

Ground Attack - HB Shawn Johnson +4% Break Tackle

Catching - TE Herman Miller +2% Acceleration


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Cardinals Mull Over Name Change

Elizabeth Satterly
Flagstaff Daily Mail

Earlier today the Arizona Cardinals released a list of new mascot names they are considering. Owner Abe Sargent, entering his sophomore year at the helm, has asked for feedback.

"We want to know what the public likes," Mr. Sargent was quoted as saying at a press conference earlier today.

In an ever growing attempt to sever all ties to the past, Abe Sargent has purged the roster, the staff, and now, the team mascot itself. "No longer will we be known as those bumbling Cardinals. The name is stained. We need a new identity."

Fans are invited to share their responses by e-mailing their opinions to [email protected]. A list of the proposed names is below.

Bandits
Comets
Copperheads
Cyclones
Dynamos
Enforcers
Generals
Highlanders
Legends
Marauders
Marshalls
Monarchs
Railsplitters
Rattlers
Ravagers
Sandcrabs
Sandstorm
Scorpions
SkyChiefs
Starfire
Timber Rattlers
Timberwolves
Thunderwolves
Trailblazers
Warhawks
Zephyrs

[JeeberD]

Sandcrabs :)

[General Mike]

Copperheads

[Buzzbee]

I posted this in the other thread, but thought I would post it here as well.

Originally posted by Buzzbee
What about the Arizona Phoenix? Rise from the ashes of suckitude. A franchise reborn. Plus it's a good play on Phoenix Arizona. :D

[Abe Sargent]

The Following is an Interview between Abe Sargent and Total Pro Football


Randy Gallegos, Total Pro Football: Alright, Abe Sargent, thanks for agreeing to this interview.

Abe: Thanks for asking. I am always available for you guys.

Randy: Alright let's start. How does rookie halfback Shawn Johnson look in training camp?

Abe: Amazing. Our scouts have informed us that, you're going to love this, that Shawn Johnson appears to be the second best rookie at his position in the NFL. Only fullback Tiki Mann appears to know his position better. We were working on some ground attack drills with Johnson and he exploded past all of our defenders from the first run into the endzone. He is simply incredible.

Randy: What about other rookies?

Abe: Doug Bronson, Jon Johnson and Dedric Arrington are our starting players at their positions. As you know, we have a lot of rookies on our team this year, but most are for depth.

Randy: Undrafted rookie kicker Delvin Krause was supposed to be very inaccurate. Have you seen that yet in camp?

Abe: He's rough, that's for sure. But we hope he'll come along rather nicely.

Randy: The big question, of course, is Marc Bulger. Can he be the starting quarterback in the league?

Abe: Absolutely. He was a significant upgrade over Jamie Martin from last year.

Randy: Jamie will continue to be your backup?

Abe: Possibly.

Randy: We have heard rumors that he is on the trading block for a receiver or a corner.

Abe: One of the basic facts about general managers is that they have to always be in constant contact with over personnel managers. You have to talk about what you want, what you have, price, draft picks, and the like. It's how you keep current as a GM.

Randy: Some sources say Marc Bulger lost a step last year, yet you still paid him the big bucks in free agency.

Abe: We never had any doubts about Marc's ability to play. During my six years at WVU, I only saw two quarterbacks from play in person that I thought would be good in the NFL. Donovan McNabb and Marc Bulger. I have no doubts about either.

Randy: Now, about the renaming of the team logo, I hear that you have an update for us?

Abe: Sure do. We have eliminated 16 names off the list, but have added two more, to bring us to an even dozen. Here are the remaining names:

Bandits
Comets
Copperheads
Legends
Marshalls
Ravagers
Sandcrabs
Sandstorm
Sandtwisters
Scorpions
Thunderbirds
Warhawks

Randy: Interesting stuff there. Any clue on which direction you'll go?

Abe: None.

Randy: We've heard that you've bene posting on various Internet message boards asking for people's opinions?

Abe: We sure have. In fact, Thunderbirds was added as a suggestion. I also typed Sandtwisters without thinking then went back and realized that it was a pretty good name.

Randy: Wow, so it sounds like there is a lot going on. Will the team have the new colors, uniforms, and helmets ready?

Abe: We have all of the uniforms and helmets ready in a shop next door. All of the numbers, names, and everything is on. All we need to do is add the colors and logo. We are preparing logos for the 12 choices as we speak. So, we'll be ready to roll no matter what.

Randy: Sounds like you are prepared then. And busy. We thank you again for your interview.

Abe: Sure thing!

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS RELEASE


Arizona Reduces List of Mascot Hopefuls to Five.


After weeks of deliberation and correspondance with a variety of Internet forums and fans, the Arizona Cardinals have narrowed the selection down to five choices.

After starting with 26 mascots possibilities, the team narrowed the selections down to 12, and now to 5.

"We want to bring a brand new look to the franchise," owner Abe Sargent was quoted as saying.

The Finalists are:

Copperheads
Legends
Marshalls
Sandtwisters
Thunderbirds


Public comments, although always welcome, will no longer have any bearing on the final results. The final selection will be announced tomorrow.

[General Mike]

Go Copperheads!

[JeeberD]

The sandcrabs of Arizona are sad about this decision... :(

[Abe Sargent]

Arizona Changes Name

John Clayton
ESPN.com


Earlier today, Arizona confirmed that they had changed their name to the Arizona Copperheads with a press release. Later today there will be a press conference to that effect.

Arizona had been considering many new names after the decision was made to change the name and team colors in a further effort to distance the new team under new ownership from the woeful history of the past team.

The Cardinals sported one of the league oldest logos and mascots. Indeed, many thought that both had become antiquated by today's game. And today they are gone.

Some may not know that one of the finalist names back when Bud Adams was renaming the Oilers was the "Copperheads." New Arizona owner remembers, "I was very disappointed when the name 'Copperheads' wasn't chosen. I think I always remembered that ever since."

A press conference will be held later today to present the new helmets, uniforms, and logo. It should be an exciting year for the Copperheads.

[Abe Sargent]

Bill Bidwell Attacks New Arizona Owner

Molly Tristendale
AP Sports


Early this afternoon, Minnesota Vikings owner Bill Bidwell was witnessed leaving the facility for lunch. Several reporters approached Mr. Bidwell for questions and he decided to stop and answer them.

Even earlier in the day, it was reported that the Arizona Cardinals, Bidwell's old family team, had changed their name to the Arizona Copperheads. The media wanted to get his reaction, and it was quite emotiional.

With anger blazing beneath his eyes, Bidwell claimed that he and his family were lied to. "He was intentionally deceptive," Bidwell said of new owner Abe Sargent.

"If he had told us that he was going to spoil everything my father worked for by changing the team's name, then we would never have sold him the team, no matter the price," Bill Bidwell continued.

His comments also included personal attacks on Abe Sargent. "He's a con artist of the highest degree. A flim flam man. A shady character. And he screwed us and me in the process."

Later today, owner Abe Sargent has promised a new conference. It should be interesting to see what his retorts are.

[Buzzbee]

Announcing the new Theme Song of the Arizona Copperheads: :D

Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It's before my time but I've been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road

Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from ol' Charlie don't you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road

[Abe Sargent]

Press Conference from Sun Devil Stadium, 6:17 pm


Abe Sargent: Good evening folks. You are all here to witness the unveiling of the new mascot, logo, helmets, color schemes, and uniforms. Behind me, I'm sure that you've seen the new logo - a Copperhead Snake. Really, only the head of the snake is seen, in copper and outlined in turquoise. These are our new colors - copper and turquoise.

The logo can be found on helmets, uniforms, and on the field.

Here is a helmet. We are using the same helmet in home and away games. As you can see, the helmet has a black facemask, copper sheen, and a turquoise triple stripe up the middle, plus, of course, the logo. We seriously toyed with leaving the helmet completely logo-free since we are the Copperheads, and that would be classic. However, we ultimately went withthe snake logo.

Here is recent draft pick Shawn Johnson modelling the new home uniform. Obviously the jersey is turquoise with copper accents. The number and name are both in copper and outlined in black. Our jersey has a horizontal copper stripe across the shoulders where the logo can be found on both of the sleeves. The pants are a sleek copper with a black belt and aqua trim, both with the sock and the stripe down the side. We look forward to playing in these.

Here is recent draft choice Doug Benson in the new away outfit. The jersey is white with the horizontal shoulder stripe being turquoise. The numbers and names are still in copper, outlined in black. This jersey features the logo prominantly on the sleeves as well. The pants are turquoise with a black belt, copper accents like stripes down the sides, and copper socks. Both uniforms feature black shoes.

The new mascot is Coppie, the Cuddly Snake. Coppie will be seen at ballgames and make appearances at schools and such. As part of our community investment program, Coppie will educate children about snakes.

And with that, the floor is open to questions.


Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: Where did you get the idea for the color scheme?

Abe: From an internet post on a forum by a gentleman named RendeR.

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: Have you heard of Bill Bidwell's comments from earlier today regarding your name change?

Abe: I sure have.

Nesmit McCall, 1080 AM Sports Talk Radio: Is he right? Did you deceive him?

Abe: I did not tell him specifically that we would change names, but I did mention to him that my plans were to change everything in order to distance the new team from the old.

Sandy Alderman, Channel 7 News: How do you feel changing the name of such a classic organization?

Abe: When Bill Bidwell took over this team from his father, it was not the Arizona Cardinals. It was the St. Louis Cardinals. Bill didn't seem to have a problem changing daddy dearest's team name then, did he? I think we have a far nobler purpose in mind with this name change than he did when he moved out of St. Louis.

Sy Rosenberg, The Sporting News: What's your opinion of Bill?

Abe: What was the Cardinals record under him? That's my opinion.

Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: Are you saying that Bill is a loser?

Abe: Wasn't that obvious? He's a loser. So am I, by the way. Our cumulative record is 4-12, and ergo, I am a loser. But I haven't had the time Bidwell had. He had decades and just spun the team in circles.

Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: But Bill Bidwell said that....

Abe: Alright, here is the final word on Bill from me. If Bill Bidwell is so upset at me changing the mascot and name of my own freakin' team, then he can change the name of his team to the Minnesota Cardinals. Or the Minnesota Crybabies. Whichever you think is more fitting.

You folks have a good night.

[Abe Sargent]

Preseason Schedule:

Week 1 - JAGUARS
Week 2 - at Raiders
Week 3 - at Ravens
Week 4 - COWBOYS



Monte Kiffin will call the preseason games

[Abe Sargent]

Interior Scouting Memo

Preseason Progression of Players after going 1-3.

No QBs changed

HB Shawn Johnson +1% overall

No FB or WR progression

TE Herman Miller, +2%

No LT or LG progression

C Dedric Arrington, +1%
Cris Forrest, +2%

No RG change

RT Jon Johnson, +2%

No LE progression

RE Dre Fisk, +1%

DT Monsanto Pope, +1%

LOLB Eddie Shakur, +1%

MLB Colby Solomon, +2% - Also injured for 8 weeks

ROLB Darnay Hill, +2%

CB Doug Bronson, +2%

FS Drew Copeland, +2%

SS William Kinney, +1%

K Dexter Krause, +2%


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Bidwell Sues Copperheads Owner

Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


Earlier today, papers were filed with the Arizona Secretary of State's office giving notice of suit against the Arizona Copperheads. The complainant?

Bill Bidwell, former owner of the Arizona franchise and current owner of the Minnesota Vikings. After the Arizona franchise announced a name change, Bidwell was quoted as saying that new owner, Abe Sargent, was "intentionally deceptive" and "a con artist."

The papers allege that Abe Sargent misled the Bidwells by not stating that he was considering changing the team name. Sargent's press conference defense was that he told Bidwell he was going to change everything. "Bill never asked about the team name," he explained.

The plaintiffs are asking for an expedited hearing as the season opening date arrives. A notice to cease and desist has been requested for the Copperheads, which would force them to remain Cardinals until the suit is settled one way or the other.

Bill Bidwell has normally been one of the more quiet owners. But even Al Davis doesn't go around suing his peers. Suing the NFL, suing cities, or states, and rival leagues are one thing. Suing a fellow owner outright is just something that is not done. Many owners we talked to were very surprised at this turn of events.

"For it to be done alone is shocking. But to come from Bill? That's crazy," one owner was quoted as saying earlier today. The court's initial hearing is set for one week.

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Anxiety
The new mascot is Coppie, the Cuddly Snake. Coppie will be seen at ballgames and make appearances at schools and such. As part of our community investment program, Coppie will educate children about snakes.

So...how is the mascot going to get around? Is he going to be Coppie, the Cuddly, Legged Snake? :D

[General Mike]

Originally posted by Celeval
Sweet! I'll do my best to make sure we're not sued.




Bidwell sues Copperheads Owner

That sure worked well, now didn't it?

[KevinNU7]

This thread is great. Can't wait to see what happens to the Copperheads

[Esquared1]

On the behalf of Mr Bidwell, I would like to make the following statement.

Since Mr. Bidwell chooses to ruffle the feathers of few, I tend to believe Mr. Bidwell. Though Mr. Sargeant's actions seem noble, he is really nothing more than a snake-oil salesman. Mr. Sargeant will be showing his true colors,and I'm not talking about copper or blue either.

Public Relations Director- Frank Rizzo

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by Esquared1
On the behalf of Mr Bidwell, I would like to make the following statement.

Since Mr. Bidwell chooses to ruffle the feathers of few, I tend to believe Mr. Bidwell. Though Mr. Sargeant's actions seem noble, he is really nothing more than a snake-oil salesman. Mr. Sargeant will be showing his true colors,and I'm not talking about copper or blue either.

Public Relations Director- Frank Rizzo

I wouldn't listen to anybody who can't even spell the defendant's simple last name correctly.... :)

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation with Monte Kiffin after Week One's Loss to the Bucs:


Abe Sargent: I picked up a backup middle linebacker for the season named Kalen Miller. He's a rookie.

Monte Kiffin: We'll beat 'em next time.

Abe: Hey, your old team is good, right? And a lot of that is you. We lost, we move on.

Monte: Yeah.

Abe: I'm calling the game this week, we'll see how I do at it.

Monte: Good luck.

Abe: I'm sure that it'll be worse than you. Much worse. 27-3 may look bad, but I think that my record will be nasty bad.

Monte: I doubt it.

Abe: Your faith, although welcome, is obviously misplaced.

Monte: (chuckles)

[tucker342]

great stuff as always!:D

That bastard Bidwell is going down!

[Abe Sargent]

Journal Entry, Abe Sargent, After Week 2


"Seahawks on opening drive get four first downs before being sacked and forced to kick a field goal. 3-0.

I run five consecutive plays up the middle by Shawn Johnson. 2 first downs and its 2nd and inches. Johnson is out with cramps for a few plays. Bulger steps back and tosses a pick. The read was decent but the coverage linebacker made a very agile move for the ball.

Seahawks drive. Charlton is beat on bump and run coverage and its 10-0 Seahawks.

I spread the field and call Johnson up the middle with four wides.. Defense is caught unawares and he busts it for 16 yards. Two more carries by Shawn and its 3rd and 4 End of quarter.

I call a FBGo play out of the Pro Form 3WR set. 10 yard completion for a first down!

2nd and 9 after a Johnson run gets only a yard after the hole closes. I call a TE Streak out of the Singleback formation but Cleeland is covered tight. Bulger rolls and sees single coverage on Freeman down field. Tosses it up in the air. Freeman makes the adjustment and catches, tackled at the 2.

I call a run up the gut but there are too many defenders. I call a QB sneak off a 4 WR set and motion Johnson as a receiver. Bulger dives in and scores a rushing TD. 10-7 Seahawks.

The Seahawks drive the length of the field again and pound it in. 17-7 Seahawks and our defense isn't stopping anything. They are really passing heavily to the man Charlton is covering.

Johnson pounds it for two. Bulger's pass hit sthe back of the receiver to bring up 3rd and 8. I call a Singleback Big ACE Streaks play. They pass rush and 2nd TE Herman Miller is wide open. Bulger just gets off the pass and Miller catches it 8 yards downfield, rumbling for 4 more yards before a safety brings him down.

3 runs later, two by Johnson and one by Hodgins and we have another first down. I call a 4 wide HB dive on 2nd and 9 but the defense is still looking run. I audible to a pass play, send Freeman on a wheel hot route and 17 yards later Bulger has another completion. Two minute warning.

Freeman drops 2nd and 12 for about 10 yards on a curl after Johnson was stopped behind the line on a blitz. 3rd and 12, but we are in FG position. Bulger has Cleeland open and passes the ball - Cleeland tips it up instead of catching it and its Intercepted!!!! Oh no!

We force Seattle to punt though - first time today we've done that. Michael Lewis calls for a Fair catch at the 34. 66 yards and 51 seconds. Time to open this pass playbook.

Freeman is jacked as he grabs the ball and can't hold on. Would have been a 35 yard play. Two more incompletes and we punt. Seattle grabs the ball and...breaks it free! Tackled at the 30 with :06 to go. They try a FG and.......just inside the uprights. 20-7.

We start on the 26. I call Johnson up the middle - 8 yards. I call another Johnson run up the gut, nothing so so he bounces outside and let's his speed carry him 16 yards upfield.

3rd and 6 and Cleeland just absolutely drops a pass in his hands. Cleeland is losing me this game.

3rd and 3 and Seattle tosses a ball to a fairly open TE Mili. Mili breaks tackles from both safeties and scores. 27-7 Seattle.

3rd and 6 and Dedric Ward is told to hot route to a wheel from the 3rd spot on a Pro From 3 wr pass. Bulger his Ward who is running behind Freeman who takes the Zone coverage and its 8 yards and a first.

3rd and 5 and I call a PA pass. My backs are covered and the heat is on. Bulger lobs it deep to Ismail in signle coverage. The D-Back picks it off, but it was essentially a punt anyways. And if he had gotten it.....

Seattle's ball on the 12. They drive and....


Bah, I'm bored reporting this game. Final score 41-10. Seattle scores on a Punt Ret. Johnson has 106 yards."

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Win in New England

Sarah O'Brien
Phoenix Sun


In the upset of the week, the Copperheads travel to Gilette Stadium and defeat the New England Patriots to go to 1-2 on the season.

The Copperheads defense held the Patriots to only 14 points despite not appearing able to stop the Seahawks all game the previous week. Their 20 points on offense was enough to win the game.

Shawn Johnson continued to survive on the ground as Bulger still hasn't scored an aerial touchdown. Defensive tackle Steve Martin has three sacks on the seaon, two recorded in theis last game.

Arizona's next game is on the road against the winless Jets. The Copperheads may very well be favorites next week for the first time this season.

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Game at Jets


Obviously we are happy with our win this week in New York. It was a rather poor game however.

Although Shawn Johnson ran for 203 yards on the day, over 100 of those yards came in the fourth quarter as we grounded down the clock and 63 of those yards were on one play. During the first three quarters we managed only 30 yards per quarter on the ground.

We turned the ball over 4 times. The only thing that saved us was that the Jets turned it over 6 times, including two fumbles off sacks in when they were in the red zone and an interception in the end zone by Blaine Bishop.

We were lucky.

Still, we were also unlucky. Dedric Ward dropped a crucial TD pass in the endzone on 3rd and goal from the 2. Bulger hit Ward for a TD later in the game.

I'll take it. My first win coaching and we are .500 after two wins on the road. Our defense allowed a total of 16 points on the road against two tough AFC East teams. That's not shabby.

Let's see what happen next week when we host the Lions.


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Owner Settles With Former Owner


Ralph Eaton
AP Wire


Earlier today papers were filed with the Arizona Secretary of State's office informing that the suit between Bill Bidwell and Abe Sargent has been settled.

Abe Sargent purchased the then Arizona Cardinals from Bill Bidwell last July and recently changed the name of the team to the Copperheads. Bill Bidwell, the new owner of the Minnesota Vikings, sued Abe Sargent for fraud by changing the team's name.

The two agreed to arbitration with the NFL regarding this issue. The papers filed today certify the rulings.

Bill Bidwell is changing the name of the Minnesota Vikings to the Minnesota Cardinals after this year. Additionally, the old Arizona Cardinals stats will move to the new Minnesota Cardinals stats. It will be like the team moved, and as if the Copperheads were a brand new team in their first year.

The Minnesota Vikings records will no longer carry with any team. In fact, rumor has it that Bidwell is interested in moving the Vikings/Cardinals to another market, which would open up the possibility of an expansion team in Minnesota named the Vikings that could take the identity and stats of the previous incarnation much like the Browns did.

No money will exchange hands, just the name change and statistics moving to the Minnesota franchise.

[Abe Sargent]

From a Copperhead Chatroom:

"Came close to being 3-2."

"Can't believe we lost to the Lions. At home."

"28-25 is not a bad loss"

"Who's the worse coach - Kiffin or Sargent?"

"Sargent"

"Sargent"

"Whoever's coaching that week"

"Heh, yeah."

"Left Guard Wally Williams is out for 8 weeks."

"Damn!"

"Weren't we 2-3 last year before collapsing?"

"Can't have high expectations too soon, now."

"Sure we can. Jax and Carolina were in the Championship games in year 2. It's our year two and where are we?"

"It's really our year one. Last year was a bunch of free agent scraps, this year was actual building."

"I think we should be winning by season 4 or it's the same old same old."

"Fourth year of Abe Sargent as owner or fourth year as Copperheads?"

"4th with Abe"

"In Abe We Trust"

"They've already signed Scott Rehberg to start or backup for now."

"What will that do to Shawn's game?"

"Maybe less running up the gut."

"They do that a lot"

"Abe calls that a lot. Kiffin runs less."

"He's number 3 in the NFL in rushing after 5 games. I'd run him a lot too."

"He has 50 more rrushing attempts than the other backs at the top. He just gets less per carry"

"Bad line"

"And it got worse"

"True"

"I'm off to bed"

"Dreams of Shawn Johnson running over defenses will be in my head"

"Dreams of a winng season will be in mine"

"We may be close"

"Or we may be farther than we've ever been befpre"

"Heh."

"LOL"

"Funny boy, eh?"

"Night all"

"TTYL"

[Esquared1]

Originally posted by Anxiety
I wouldn't listen to anybody who can't even spell the defendant's simple last name correctly.... :)

-Anxiety

Yeah, I know. I hope you did not mind me doing that. I guess I was hoping you were going to attack the spelling AND the massive use of puns. :)

Not that you needed the material. . . :D

E

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Reach 3-3 After Come From Behind Victory


Steve Winter
Pro Football Weekly


After a dismal season last year, the Cardinals/Copperheads were not expected to do much better this season. Yet, with last Sunday's victory against the 49ers, they have beaten three quality opponents. All on the road.

Earlier this season the Copperheads dropped all three of their home games. However, they have won every away game - at New England, at New York, and now at San Francisco.

And this game was as dramatic as it was unpredictable. Down 20-0 at the half, most teams would scrap their gameplan and pass a lot. In fact, Bulger only passed for 125 yards on the day. Instead, owner Abe Sargent called the game the exact opposite.

He ran more.

By the end of the day, halfback Shawn Johnson had rushed for 217 yards on 29 carries for 3 TDs. Twice he broke long yards by running up the gut. A 61 yard scamper saw Shawn outrun the secondary last in the third. And then on Arizona's first possession of the fourth quarter a 44 yard bust through the middle gave Shawn his second score. On Arizona's final drive, started on the 20 with 4:39 in the game, Johnson ran 5 times for 49 yards and an 11 yard TD.

The Copperheads won 24-20, shutting out the amazing 49ers passing game in the second half.

Arizona kick returner Michael Lewis fumbled the ball on a kickoff return late in the second half which was recovered and returned for a TD. Special Teams errors continue to plague the Copperheads, who also missed two field goal attempts.

However, at the end of the day, Shawn Johnson was enough to defeat the 49ers. Shawn and a Arizona defense that bent all day but never broke, yielding only 13 points defensively.

[Abe Sargent]

Interview with Quarterbacks Weekly, 1090 AM

Dave Attel: Our next guest is the owner of the Arizona Copperheads, Abe Sargent. Abe was on the program last year and we talked about Jamie Martin and possibly benching him for Wuerffel. Now, the questions are about Marc Bulger and benching him for Martin.

Abe Sargent: Interesting, eh?

Dave: Very. Halfback Shawn Johnson has exploded and is near the top of the NFL. Has he saved your team from Bulger?

Abe: Of course not. Like last year, we have a new team with practically no returners, including a new QB. You have to expect growing pains. But I have no reason to expect that Bulger won't be a great QB in this league.

Dave: And that's true. Qadry Ismail has been missing in this offense after getting 1000+ yards last year.

Abe: Just the aberration of statistics, but we'll probably look for a new receiver next offseason. Ismail is a great receiver, but he is also a bit long in the tooth.

Dave: Why have you put the passing game in the back seat this year?

Abe: We are running behind Shawn Johnson this year. That's our strength right now.

Dave: And Bulger turns the ball over a lot.

Abe: Right now he does. But when we have a better TE, a better receiver across from Freeman, and thus move Ismail to the 3rd spot, Bulger will shine, mark my words about that.

Dave: You lost last week at home against the Saints 38-10. That makes you 3-4 on the season, 3-0 on the road and 0-4 at home. To what do you attribute that?

Abe: Happenstance. If we continue that trend, we'll be 8-8 on the season, and that'd be a 4 game improvement.

Dave: Heh, true. Alright, heading into week 9 of the NFL, the Arizona Copperheads, one of the more intriguing teams in the league. Thanks for your time. I like the new name, by the way.

Abe: Thanks.

Dave: Coming up after the break is....

[Abe Sargent]

Two weeks:

Arizona at home against Dolphins. Lose 31-6
Arizona at Dallas. Lose 28-3

[Abe Sargent]

Shawn Johnson Obliterates Single Game Rushing Record

John Clayton
ESPN.com


Earlier today the Arizona Copperheads took on the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The day was a wet, rainy affair with both teams slogging through the muck.

Owner Abe Sargent was the playcaller today. This was his first rainy game.

After last week, preliminary Pro Bowl standings did not even have rookie sensation Shawn Johnson in the running for an NFC spot despite being tied with Michael Bennett for the most yards in the league.

Maybe today will add a few votes.

In the first quarter, Shawn Johnson knocked off a 61 yard scamper for a TD. Overall, Shawn Johnson had over 100 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.

In the second quarter, Johnson broke another yard 47 yards for a touchdown. By halftime, Johnson had almost 200 yards.

In the third quarter, Johnson only had around 50 yards. Good stats for normal backs on a normal day, but this was no normal day.

Then, in the fourth, Seattle tied the game at 24-24 with 3:30 left. Arizona went with four consecutive runs. Johnson scored on a 33 yard dash around the left end after his holes closed up in the middle.

Seattle went four and out after going for it on fourth down. And Arizona had to keep running to grind out the clock. Johnson added three runs for double digits and broke Corey Dillon's old record of 287 yards inside of the Two Minute Warning.

For the day, Shawn Johnson registered 324 rushing yards - the first back to ever record over 300 yards in one game. The Seattle defense was stymied, often slipping and Johnson easily broke many tackles and evaded others.

Maybe a few more Pro Bowl votes will go his way now.

[Abe Sargent]

From ESPNNews


....so the Cardinals can't stop the Rams today losing another home game. This time, the Rams are simply too much for the Cardinals, winning 24-13. Rookie back Free Safety Drew Copeland will be out for several weeks with an abdominal strain during the game. Johnson followed up his record setting performance last week by recording another 100 yard game.

The Bills took on the Jets.....

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Loss at Carolina

We lost this week. And Johnson's running game was absent.

I called the game, so I can;t but help feel that we let it slip away, 24-17. However, we had a lot of luck. Stephen Davis's fumble into the endzone and out of bounds was a touchback for us. Another red zone fumlbe we recovered. The score could have been much worse.

Still, most of their damage was done in the second quarter when Bulger was out for the half with a jammed wrist. Jamie tossed two picks. Bulger tossed no picks and 2 TDs.

People who were calling for Bulger's pink slip are quiet this week. Heh.

Anyways, we are out of playoff contention. So, I'll turn over playcalling duties to Monte for the remainder of the season.


-Abe Sargent

[Abe Sargent]

Poster Hung on a Dorm Room Door


Arizona Copperheads Schedule:

.....

Week 14 - 49ERS - L (31-9)
Week 15 - at Falcons L (7-23)
Week 16 - BILLS L (37-6)
Week 17 - at Rams W (27-22)

Final Standings - 5-11.

[Abe Sargent]

Playoffs:


Wild Card Round:


Patriots at Broncos - Pats 45-7
Vikings at Cowboys - Boys 22-17
Bills at Texans - Texans - 37-13
Saints at 49ers - 49ers 24-10

Divisional Round:

Texans at Dolphins - Phins 24-17
49ers at Buccaneers - Bucs 30-10
Patriots at Bengals - Bengals 23-15
Cowboys at Packers - Pack 35-14


Conference Championships -

Bengals at Dolphins

Packers at Buccaneers


Bengals 27, Dolphins 0

Packers 28, Buccaneers 13


Super Bowl -

Cincinnati Bengals

vs.

Green Bay Packers


Bengals 41
Green Bay 20


So, apparently, Marvin Lewis created a revolution.

[Abe Sargent]

Stats from this year:


QB Marc Bulger - 2212 yards, 8 TDs, 20 Ints, 1 Rush TD

RB Shawn Johnson - 1761 yards on 378 carries for 10 TDs, 48 catches for 252 yards and 2 TDs

WR Qadry Ismail - 54 catches for 706 yards, 2 TDs
WR Antonio Freeman - 41 catches for 574 yards and 2 TD

RG Leon Searcy, 69 Pancakes, 9 Sacks Allowed
LT Richmond Webb, 65 Panackes, 1 Sack Allowed

ROLB John Thierry - 92 tackles, 9 sacks, 3 FF, 2 FumRec
DT Steve Martin - 46 Tackles, 8 sacks, 1 FumRec
LE Chidi Ahanotu - 54 Tackles, 8 sacks, 2 FF

CB Doug Bronson - 61 Tacks, 5 Ints, 3 FF, 3 FumRec

KR Michael Lewis, 1 KR TD, 1 PR TD

K Dexter Krause, 23 of 29

[Abe Sargent]

Awards:


HB Shawn Johnson -

NFL Offensive Player of Week 6, Week 11
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
NFC Best RB (4th Place)

CB Doug Bronson -

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year



Pro Bowl -

LT Richmond Webb (highest votes of any tackle in the NFC)
RG Leon Searcy

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Have Several Pro Bowl Snubs

Steve Satterfield
Copperheads.com

Although Arizona received two Pro Bowl berths for offensive linemen Richmond Webb and Leon Searcy, otherwise, the Shawn Johnson express did not stop at the Pro Bowl.

Honestly, what does a running back have to do to get in the Pro Bowl? Lead the NFL in rushing? Shawn led by 150 yards over #2 back Deuce McAllister. Get a lot of rushing TDs? Johnson registered 10, more than Ahman Green and Deuce McAllister did, when Green and the Deuce made it to the Pro Bowl for the NFC.

How about set an all time game record for rushing yards that beats the previous record by almost 50 yards?!? Surely, that should warrant conclusion.

But no. No Pro Bowl berth for the Rookie out of Florida State.

The biggest knack against Johnson is that his team went 5-11. But that should not matter, and it obviously didn't in the case of Richmond Webb, Left Tackle for the Copperheads who was the top vote getter in the NFC of all tackles.

Some people have said that often a palyers needs a one year apprenticeship before getting voted into the Pro Bowl. But should that apply here? Certainly not. No back was more vital to his team, no runner better this year than Shawn Johnson. And instead of Copperhead fans celebrating that fact watching him celebrate in Hawaii, we are disappointed with the whole system.

Copperhead fans have something to cheer about, and the league robs us of that.

Yeah, we still got both NFL awards for best offensive and defensive rookies. That was nice.

Switching gears, where was John Thierry this Saturday when the Pro Bowl was played? Watching. Fishing. Definatily not in Hawaii despite notching 9 sacks and leading the team in tackles.

Doug Bronson, as a corner, led the team in both picks and forced fumbles. When does a corner do that? But instead of the league celebrating a new corner with strength too, he wins a rookie award, and watches the Pro Bowl from a TV set.

We had a lot to celebrate this year. And we have a lot more to look forward to next year. Too bad the NFL missed it.

[Abe Sargent]

2004 Balance Sheet:

Income -

Ticket Sales - 27.1 Mill
Concessions - 3.2 Mill
Parking - 1.3 Mill
Merchandising - 2.6 Mill
Shared Revenue - 67.6 Mill

Total Income - 101.75 Mill

Expenses -

Player Salaries - 93.3 Mill
Staff Salaries - 5.6 Mill
Stadium Maintenance - 16.1 Mill

Total Expenses - 115.00 Mill


Yearly Total - -13.2 Million

Total Assets - -3.05 Million


-Franklinnoble
VP of Administration

[Abe Sargent]

Scouting Memo


Progression of Players This Year:


QB Marc Bulger, -1%
Danny Wuerffel, -7%

HB Shawn Johnson, +4%
Doug Chapman, -4%

FB James Hodgins, +1%

WR Antonio Freeman, -2%
Andre King, -4%

LT Richmond Webb, +2%
Jeremy McKinney, -9%

LG Wally Williams, -6%
Scott Rehberg, +1%
Floyd Wedderburn, -7%

C Dedric Arrington, +5%

RE Leon Searcy, +1%

RT Jon Johnson, +3%
John St. Clair, -1%

LE Chidi Ahanotu, +3%
Joey Williams, +2%

RE Kendrick Office, +1%
Dre Fisk, +3%

DT Monsanto Pope, +3%
Sean Nelson, -1%

LOLB Canute Curtis, +2%
Eddie Shakur, +3%

MLB Bryan Cox, +2%
Colby Solomon, +3%
Kalen Miller, +5%

ROLB John Thierry, +3%
Darnay Hill, +4%

CB Doug Bronson, +4%
Ike Charlton, +3%
Terry Fair, +2%
Tyrone Carter, +2%

FS Marcus Robertson, +2%
Drew Copeland, +4%

SS William Kinney, +3%

K Dexter Krause, +4%

P Matt Turk, +2%


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Again Lead League in Retirements


Sonny Blackshear
Arizona Daily News

For the second straight year, the Arizona Cardinals/Copperheads have led the league in retirements.

Two years ago, new owner Abe Sargent cut the current players and hired all new players from the free agent market. As a result, many older, aging players were selected for the team. Therefore, over the past two years, the Arizona franchise has led the league in the number of retirements it has.

This year, the Copperheads has six players retire. The next highest number was Miami with five, and no other team had more than three players retire.

The six Arizona players to retire are:

WR Qadry Ismail - After getting over 1000 receiving yards two years ago, Qadry again led the team in receptions and yards despite registering 300 less yards.

SS Blaine Bishop - A former Pro Bowl safety, Blaine has had a strong career with a number of high profile franchises such as Tennessee and Philadelphia.

QB Jamie Martin - A vertern jouneyman, Jamie hadn't started more than 6 games before being tagged as the starting quarterback for the Cardinals in Abe Sargent's inaugural season as owner. In his only season as a starter, in 15 games, Jamie threw almost 3000 yards, thus proving he was a good quarterback.

WR/KR Michael Lewis - Michael registered two touchdowns on returns this year for the Copperheads, his only year with the franchise.

HB Terrell Davis - The primary backup for Shawn Johnson, any hopes for a comeback were defeated by Johnson's running game.

TE Damon Jones - Buried on the depth chart at the age of 30, Jones was brought in as a #2 option with good receiving skills, but he couldn't even crack the lineup despite problems at the tight end position.

[Abe Sargent]

Scouting Memo:

The following players are holding out:

CB Ike Charlton
FB James Hodgins


Position by Position Analysis of Roster:

Quarterback - Marc Bulger is under contract for three more years and is our starting quarterback for good or ill. Danny Wuerffel has lost any edge he had and is not under contract as of right now. Recommendation - Find two new quarterbacks, preferably at least on young one who can be groomed for the future.

Running Back - Shawn Johnson is amazing but no other tailbacks are under contract. At fullback, James Hodgins is a horse of a player with 2 years left on his contract. But he's not that special and he's holding out for more money. Recommendation - Find more backups for Shawn, make a decision on James.

Wide Receiver - Only Antonio Freeman is currently under contract. This team's passing game was anemic last year. Bringing in a top receiver is vital. Recommendation - Find several backups, a starter, and preferably a project.

Tight End - Despite Cameron's supposed skills, the Tight End position was horrible last year. 6th round draft pick and rookie Herman Miller is no solution. Recommendation - Find a starting Tight End of higher quality.

Offensive Tackle - Rookie Jon Johnson has progressed very well and should start long term. Left Tackle Richmond Webb, although 38, had an amazing Pro Bowl season last year. We need a player at the LT position, and until someone better comes along, Webb is our best option. John St. Clair is still under contract and a decent enough backup. Recommendation - Resign Webb to a short contract, find a backup.

Offensive Guard - LG Wally Williams' injury caused significant decline in his ability last year. Now, Williams is nothing more than a spot starter, although we have him under contract for the upcoming year. Leon Searcy, with two years left, was our other overachiever on the offensive line last year. He is aging quickly, however. Recommendation - Find two backups, one who can eventually start.

Center - Rookies Dedric Arrington and Cris Forrest have no problems and should be on our team for two more years together as a center tandem.

Defensive End - Chidi Ahanotu and Kendrick Office are both without a contract. They both have 32 starts under their wings with us. Chidi is the better player, and Kendrick is easily replaceable. We have backups for both end positions. Recommendation - Resign Ahanotu, find a new RE.

Defensive Tackle - Our two starters are both under contract as are two backups. Recommendation - If possible, find a new young backup for depth.

Outside Linebacker - Starters Canute Curtis and John Thierry are both free agents. And both are older. Neither really has great skills, but both have something important to offer. Thierry is more important than Curtis. We have backups at both positions. Recommendation - Resign Thierry. Choose to either keep or replace Curtis. Either way, find a new player to groom for the starting position.

Middle Linebacker - Bryan Cox has grown into our best linebacker despite his age. We have a backup at middle linebacker. Recommendation - Resign Cox to a short term contract.

Cornerback - Doug Bronson had a great rookie year. We still need a shutdown corner. We currently have five corners under contract, although Ike is holding out after starting last year. He is not a starter in this league, however. Recommendation - Find a new starter, cut Ike lose if he is too much of a problem.

Safeties - We have backups in place. Marcus Robertson is solidfied at the starting position - he's a lot better than most of our starters. But Blaine's retirement creates a hole at strong safety. Recommendation - Find a new starting strong safety.

Kickers - K Delvin Krause is coming along nicely for an undrafted kicker. P Matt Turk is still the best player on our team at thier position. No recommendations here since both are under contract.


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA COPPERHEADS PRESS RELEASE


Copperheads resign five


After a week of long deliberations with five veteran free agents, all starters from last year, the Arizona Copperheads have announced the resigning of each.

A small ceremony was held earlier today with each of the five veterans - all players who started both years of the Arizona rebuilding phase, signing their new contracts simultaneously. The five veterans are:

Left Tackle Richmond Webb, 1 year deal for 2.8 million including a 440 thousand signing bonus.

Middle Linebacker Bryan Cox, 1 year deal for 2.35 million and a 370k bonus.

Outside Linebackers John Thierry and Canute Curtis. Canute for 1 year, 1.85 million and Thierry for 2 years and 4 million

Left Defensive End Chidi Ahanotu, 2 year deal for 3.5 million with a 570k bonus.


The Copperheads hopes that each player will continue to bring excellence to the team both on and off the field.

[Abe Sargent]

Administration Note:

Before Resigning Players:

Money Tied in Contracts: 34.66 Mill
Available Cap Money: 56.09 Mill


After Resigning Five Players:

Money in Contracts: 45.08 Mill
Available: 45.67 Mill


-Franklinnoble
VP of Administration

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Holdouts


Hello -

We had two holdouts to deal with this year:

CB Ike Charlton is in the final year of his contract, started all last season, and is 27 - around the time a player really wants to settle down. Ike is demanding a five year deal, but not worth a lot. He's developed into a solid Nickel or Dime option, and I like signing him to a longer deal, but a five year deal is out of the question. Ultimately, we decide on a three year deal worth 3.8 million with 600k of it in a signing bonus.

I honestly have no idea why FB James Hodgins is holding out. He just finished his first year of a three year contract/ He is just wanting one extra year added. James is 28 years old and likely in his prime. He does start for us, but is isn't excellent. I decide to honor his request for a new contract despite his poor reasoning for wanting a new contract. We strike a deal for 3 years, 2.9 million with a bonus of 390k. This is an extension of one year over the current contract.


Neither move hurts us financially, and both moves satisfy players. Cap Room after dealing with the holdouts - 45.4 million.


-Abe Sargent

[Abe Sargent]

Pre Combine Strategy Meeting


Abe Sargent: Alright, let's begin. Mike?

Mike Ackerly: We have six starting positions in flux. We want to find six starters, either in the draft or through free agency. The positions are Left Guard, Wide Receiver, Right End, Tight End, Cornerback and Strong Safety.

Vic Ketchman: Obviously, some of those positions are more important than others.

Mike: Sure thing. Our priority is as follows. Wide Receiver is our most important hole. Follow that with Right Defensive End then Storng Safety. Cornerback, Tight End, and Left Guard round them out. We can start Wally Williams at Left Guard if we have to, for example.

Monte Kiffin: We pick fourth, so if we have four top choices, we're guaranteed one of them.

Abe: Correct. 16 players this year have definite first round grades. Six of them are in our needed positions. I suggest that we go into the combine studying all six.

Vic: Who are they?

Mike: Receivers Greg George and Craig Campbell will be at the top of our list. Tught End Neil Rasby. Left Guards Gary Thomas and Dontae Renick. And Right End Michael Roberts.

Vic: So we want to scout all six? Eliminate two from contention?

Abe: Exactly.

Vic: Fair enough.

Monte: We need some depth too.

Mike: We need two quarterbacks, two or three half backs, maybe a fullback, and a slew of receivers.

Abe: Let's start with a returner. Who do we have on queue with a great return game?

Mike: I like receiver Phil Barton from Wisconsin. He's not a high body on many people's lists, getting a late round grade. But he is tall enough at 6'1" to show potential.

Monte: I like size on my return men.

Abe: Great, let's scout him. Backup halfbacks?

Mike: Only 14 halfbacks in this class, which puts a premium on them. They may go early as a result. The best runner in the latter groups is Tre Conner, from Air Force. He has a 3rd or 4th round grade, 6'1" frame and amazing power. Poor hands though. Another possibility might be Derek Rogers from Notre Dame. Also a 3rd-th round grade with great power and abavoe average hands. Appears, right now, to be the better deal.

Abe: Let's scout them both.

Vic: Quarterback? That guy from Pittsburgh impressed me more than others.

Mike: He is ranked the last of the draftable quarterbacks. Good body with 6'3" height. Late round grade but has good pass tsrenth and great accuracy. Definite possibility as a project.

Monte: I like his size and accuracy.

Abe: Agreed. What about 2nd round selections for our starting spots?

Mike: There are several options that I like. Receiver Chris Valentine from Ole Miss has great hands and is 6'3". Our scouts say he is a speed receiver, and we'll see.

Vic: Sounds really good.

Mike: Right End Al Shields from USC is big. At 6'7' he is the biggest defensive end in the draft. Has good tackling and a late first-early second grade. For corners, the best of the top three is probably Marvin Lincoln from little NC Central. He's 5'11" and from a small school, so some are down on him, but I like his upside. Above Average tackler.

Monte: By my count that's 13 players. How about later round guards or ends?

Vic: That guy we saw from Arizona State at the football game. Remember Monte, we went out to the game last October cause we were looking for something to do? What was his name.... He could tackle anything.

Mike: Anthony Edwards, Right End from ASU. Late round grade. 6'3", great tackling.

Monte: Oh yeah, that's the guy. He was amazing.

Abe: Let's scout him then.

Mike: And for guard, may I suggest Ed Perry from Texas A&M? 6'7" and good blocking skills with a late round grade.

Abe: That make us fifteen?

Vic: Sure does.

Abe: Alright then, let's reconvene at the combine.

[Abe Sargent]

First Combine Meeting

Vic:...and that guy is a house! Receivers should not be that stong!

Abe: What's going on now?

Vic: I was at the receiver workout for a while. Three receivers benched 17 or 18 reps, including our boy Craig. All three recorded really fast 40 times too. There are three guys with great speed and great strength. Nasty combination!

Monte: I want one.

Mike: Calm down boys. Here's the rundown on today's players. Of the 15 we scouted, what positon would you like to begin with?

Abe: Let's head straight down the roster positions.

Mike: Alright then, we'll start with quarterback. We looked at Jeff Fulcher from Pitt. Many of our late round players we looked at has serious flaws. Not Jeff. He had a quick release and has acceptable physical stats. I suggest we take a closer look at him tomorrow.

Monte: I like having three good quarterbacks. Danny scared me last year.

Vic: Heheh.

Mike: Next up is the halfback corps we looked at. Tre Conner had more red flags than a Six Flags Amusement Park. Fumbling problems, poor interview, slow speed. No sense spending more time with him. Derek Rogers was pretty good physically but he had a below avergae interview. Want me to keep scouting him?

Abe: Let's finish the reports then take a closer look.

Mike: Sure thing boss.

Vic: How about that Tight End?

Mike: Neil was slower with a 4.93 40 time. Smart kid though. Had a good interview. Proved he has great hands, but we need to see more.

Monte: What about that receiver we heard about?

Mike: Our two first round grades were Greg and Craig. Sounds like a fraternity ski trip, I know. Craig had 4.37 speed, a good interview, and 18 bench reps - the best of any receiver. He seems like a very physical receiver who can break tackles.

Monte: I like him!

Vic: Physical receivers can often end up being good run blockers too.

Abe: Next up is Greg?

Mike: Greg looked good too. Seems to have the best hands of any receiver in the draft. 38" vertical was a pleasant surprise and a 4.40 40 time, which is just where we want our receivers.

Vic: Interview?

Mike: Oh, nothing to write home about, but above average. Craig seems the better option currently, but we should keep scouting.

Abe: Agreed. The other two?

Mike: I don't even want to talk about Phil Barton. Players that bad shouldn't even be allowed on the field and I'd be insulted if we invited him to a workout as an undrafted free agent.

Vic: Damn!

Mike: Now Chris Valentine is decent enough. A Good interview, 4.41 40 time, needs to work on head-eye coordination but made good catches nevertheless.

Abe: Let's see other players before deciding to scout him again.

Mike: Sure. Left Guard is next. Gary Thomas and Dontae Renick both have first round grades. Gary has an above average interview, Dontae was pretty good. Dontae has long arms and used them well in blocking. Gary sets up well in pass protection. Dontae had 32 reps, Gary had 35 reps. Right now, they are neck and neck for the guard spots and need more scouting.

Vic: Sounds good.

Mike: That may sound good but wait. Ed Perry had really bad workouts. And a pretty lousy interview as well.

Abe: Alright, we'll look elsewhere for a guard. Defensive End?

Mike: For a first round pick, I was disappointed. Michael Roberts should have been better. He was fast at 4.53 40 time. Only had a so-so interview, and showed pretty average tackling skills. That's the bad news.

Monte: The good news?

Mike: DE Al Shields, who we were looking for the 2nd round looks great. 4.50 40 time beats Robert's only strength. 29 reps is good for an end and an above average interview. He was also an explosive tackler today on the field. I really like him so far, and I'd like to see more.

Abe: Scout him out. Didn't we have a third on the list?

Mike: Sure did. Anthony Edwards. Slow, slow time at 5.12. Average interview, looks like nothing special. But, the guy proved he has great tackling skills. I think he may be a diamond in the rough and I'd like to look closer.

Abe: You got it. Our corner?

Mike: Marvin Lincoln is another player we are looking at in the 2nd. I honestly do not believe that he will be on the list. 4.23 40.

Vic: *whistles*

Mike: Yup, and teams crave that kind of speed at the corner position. 35" vertical and an average interview. Like to scout him more in case he falls, however.

Abe: How many have we listed for more scouting thus far?

Mike: Nine.

Abe: Who do you recommend for the other 6 scout times we have tomorrow?

Mike: Let's start with Strong Safety. No SS had a ranking of higher than late 2nd-early 3rd round but there was a gridlock there, so we waited until we saw the results fromt he first day. And there are two safeties I like for that area of the draft. Carl Sanders from UNC and Lester Johnson from South Carolina. Both are 6'1". Carl has a 4.47 40 time and Lester a 4.40. Carl had 19 reps, Lester a 37" vertical - the best of any strong safety. Carl had a good interview and Lester an above average one. Carl appears to be an amazing tackler and Lester a pretty good one. I'd like to scout them both.

Abe: Excellent. Do it.

Mike: Receiver Wayne Beck was another of the three receivers that Vic was impressed by. He has a second round grade, above average hands, a 4.37 40 time, 17 reps and a good interview.

Vic: I was impressed by him.

Monte: What about that halfback you were telling me about?

Mike: Renaldo? Great back. From Florida, has a grade of 3rd-4th rounds. Good interview, great power, above average hands, 4.31 speed and 17 reps. Really showed something yesterday.

Abe: Wow. Scout them both. We have two slots left. Who else?

Mike: Right Guard Bobby Jackson from Tulsa. He's a little short at 6"2 although he weighs 313 pounds. Great run blocking skills, above average pass blocking skill. 33 reps, par for the course for guards. Good interview, which is important for guards. Grade of 2-3 rounds.

Vic: Sounds like a good deal for that area of the draft, despite the fact that sounds like a super ball.

Abe: Haha. Short and round. But isn't he a Right guard? We need left guards.

Mike: True, but we could use an additional backup, plus Searcy is aging quickly.

Abe: Fair enough.

Mike: Last up is coner Vernon Marsh. Now, I want you all to listen to this carefully. 2nd-3rd round grade. Above average tackling. 4.44 40 time. Great interview, this guy really knows hus stuff. 40" vertical, tied for best of any corners. 16 reps, second strongest corner.

Monte: Sounds like a catch!

Mike: Yes, but this "catch" has a "catch."

Vic: What's up?

Mike: Not much. He's 5'8"

Vic: Ick.

Mike: But if a 5'8" corner can make it in the NFL, this guy might be it.

Abe: Alright, scout him out. That's our 15. We meet here again tomorrow to make our final decisions.

[Abe Sargent]

Second Combine Meeting

Abe: Mike, what do you have for us?

Mike: Some surprises in here. Starting with the safeties, Carl looked okay a Lester not so much. I'd like one last chance to look at them.

At corner Vernon looks okay and Marvin looks amazing. Again, more info on both is necesswary. Especially vernon.

Anthony Edwards did not look good at end. Al Shields, who I did like, looks less than sterling now. I'd like to see more of Al.

At guard, Bobby is a fierce competetior, and I like that. Dontae appeared better than Gary for the first round players. I'd like another look at all three.

Neil at TE was decent and I want a little more. Criag and Greg acontinue to vie for our top receiver spot. Beck fumbles and I want more info on him as well.

At halfback Renaldo Conway looks good. Le't see more.

And at quarterback I am continually impressed with Jeff Fulcher. Let's see more.

Abe: So you want to see more of 14 of the 15 players we just scouted?

Mike: Correct

Monte: Pretty good.

Abe: Who do you want as your other player?

Mike: You'll be surprised...

Vic: Who?

Mike: QB Tra Ilko from San Diego State. Goo dinterview, amazing arm strength, above average accuracy and 17 reps. Let's see what this guy can offer.

Abe: Sounds like a deal. We need two backup QBs anyway. Let' us know what you find out in your final report. Gentleman, thanks for coming. See you back in Arizona!

[Abe Sargent]

Chris Berman: ...so the Copperheads have to be happy that both of the top wide receivers are still on the board at pick 4. They get their choice of receiver here.

Mel Kiper, Jr: Absolutely Chris. Last year we witnessed a whole slew of receivers fall off the board in the first round, and this year, it's just too hard to call what will happen at the position. But Arizona get's their choice, and you've got to figure that they'll go with a wideout here. They only have Antonio Freeman under contract right now.

Jimmy Johnson: I like Greg a lot.

Mel: I think Greg has the bigger upside, but Craig is the more polished reciever right now, which is odd, I know, since he comes from James Madison University. The Copperheads need an immediate contributor, so I'd go with Craig Campbell.

Chris: And the commissioner is making his way to the podium now.

Paul Tags: With the fourth overall selection in the 2005 draft, the Arizona Copperheads select the wide receiver from James Madison, Craig Campbell.

Chris: Looks like you were right, Mel.

Mel: The first picks are the easiest to call. And Craig is among the most physical receivers that we've seen in a while. He was the strongest receiver in the draft with the same number of bench reps that safeties and some linebackers get. You've heard of running backs that act like receivers? This guy is a receiver who can act like a running back. Let's take a look at the tape...

[Abe Sargent]

Jimmy Johnson: 10 Wide Receivers in the first round the year after 14 receivers went in the first just baffles me. Where are these teams putting all of these guys? I think some are reaching just to get a receiver.

Mel: I think you're right. Arizona has got to be happy that they started this little run of receivers. Arizona started a run of four receivres going in a row. They got their pick of the crop, and considering their significant need for wideouts, it was certainly a good thing that they picked fourth, right at the beginning of the rush.

Chris: Who do the Copperheads go for here?

Mel: Arizona has to be real upset that tight end Neil Basby went off the board at pick 34. They were really high on this kid and he was number 5 or 6 on their draft board overall. I think they would have done cartwheels to get the guy in the second round. Let's take a look at some of the players who've dropped, according to my board:

LOLB Gerard Davis was a real player. Good speed, good strength, good tackling and great acceleration. He dropped because he had an average interview. He's my best available.

DT Terrence McGrath is my next player. Great tackling, size and strength, but again, an average interview hurt him.

RE Michael Roberts is also on the board and the Copperheads have got to be upset that they didn't look at him closer because he fell to them. He is the only player where the best available meets their need for a starter at the end position. He was one of the fastest and strongest ends out there but an average tackler and interview has knocked him down.

C Jeff Woodson is still available but centers have a tendancy to drop because there is not as muhc of a need for them. He'll get pciked up sooner or later and start quickly.

Last of my top five biggest drops is right tackle Jerome Kaltenschnee. He has amazing blocking skills and a good interview. I'm surprised he hasn't gone yet, and I don't expect to see him here much longer.


Chris: So, of the five, you think Arizona will go with Roberts?

Mel: I think so.

Jimmy: You got to have good ends. I think they should take him.

Chris: Here comes the commissioner.

Tags: With the 36th selection of the draft, the Arizona Copperheads select RE Michael Roberts.

Chris: Two for two Mel.

Mel: Yep. Let's take a look at some of Michael's gamefilm.

[Abe Sargent]

Chris: With the draft quickly achieving conclusion, Mel Kiper and Mike Golic have been giving us their opinion on the drafts. They've been taking turns and it's Mike's turn. Mike, you have the Copperheads.

Mike Golic: I like their first round selection of Craig Campbell because they got the recevier they wanted before the furor began over wideouts. They needed some more, but they had the discipline to never reach and I like that. The second round choice of Michael Roberts was questionable only because Al Shields, another end who they really liked, stayed around until the mid-fourth. I really think they would have gotten a quality end two rounds later.

In the third round, they went with Carl Sanders, the strong safety from North Carolina. He was the first strong safety taken in what was admittedly a weak year for them. Still, Arizona needed a starter, and they found the best one in the draft in the 3rd - pretty good value there. In the fourth they picked up corner Vernon Marsh from Vanderbilt. Although I think Vernon was a bit of a reach, any corner in the fourth round who makes a roster with 5 corners already on it has to be pretty good.

Owner Abe Sargent admitted to us that some players they really wanted were taken off the baord, so they drafted a best available player approach for the last three rounds. Each of the players taken had fallen somewhat, and was a good selection. Right Guard Brad Green was snatched up in the fifth, outside linebacker Kendall Ortiz in the sixth and left tackle Brady Allen in the seventh. If even one of these players pans out as a starter in the future, the Copperheads had a good deal. And the starters at each of these positions are pushing retirement, whih may mean one or more of these players will have an opportunity to shine.

Overall, I think the Copperheads missed on the second round selection, and predicted the draft poorly, but made up for it with some quality late. I give them a B.

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA COPPERHEADS PRESS RELEASE

New Copperheads Signed


Earlier today, the Arizona Copperheads announced that deals had been reached with all seven draftees. From the first round pick through the seventh, all plaayers have placed their name to paper and signed contracts.

The Arizona franchise welcomes their new members and looks forward to their contribution both on and off the field. The players are listed below, in draft order.


1. WR Craig Campbell, James Madison University. 4 years, 14.25 million with a signing bonus of 2.08 million.

2. RE Michael Roberts, Oklahoma State, 5 years, 6 million with a bonus of 850,000.

3. SS Carl Sanders, North Carolina, 3 years, 2 million with a 300,000 bonus.

4. CB Vernon Marsh, Venderbilt, 4 years, 1.7 million with a bonus of 280,000.

5. RG Brad Green, Henderson State, 3 years, 1 million with a 180,000 bonus.

6. ROLB Kendall Ortiz, Southern University, 3 years, 1 million with a 180,000 bonus.

7. LT Brady Allen, Notre Dame, 3 years, 1 million with a bonus of 80,000.


Make sure to welcome these new players to our community!

[Abe Sargent]

Needs:

2 backup QBs
2-3 backup RBs
3 WRs
1 Starting caliber TE
1 Starting Caliber LG
1 Starting Caliber CB

We have 40.19 Mill available to spend this year.

-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Free Agency Log:

We have three main target in the free agency period. Our top priority is to get the only true shutdown corner out there. Troy Vincent. He's old, but he's better than any otehr we have. We'll still need to find a long term solution, but for now, he'll definately do.

Our next priority is LG Bibla, a fourth year man who looks decently good. He's a little better than Wally Williams but he's young enough that he can still improve which makes him more valuable to me.

Out third target is Tight End Anthony Becht. Becht is better than Cam Cleeland, but not by too much. Still, I'll take any improvement at that critical position that I can, and I can always substitute in Becht for blocking downs if I cen get a better reeiver. A better TE later on will allow me to more effectively use our Big Formations, which I am really fond of.



Day 1 -

We make bids to Becht, Vincent and Bibla.


Day 2 -

We hear that our bids for Vincent and Becht have been exceeded by other teams. We bid up on both players.

Day 3 - Vincent and Becht sign. We make a bid on WR Jason McAddley.

Day 4 - Bibla signs. McAddley's bid is upped by Denver and I don't want to pay the extra money. We remove ourselves from any further free agent action.

Post Auction -

We got all three of our targets:

CB Troy Vincent, 3 years, 16.39 million with 4.92 bonus
TE Anthony Becht, 4 years, 3 million with 600k bonus
LG Martin Bibla, 4 years, 4.5 million with 760k bonus


We also signed the following free agents post draft for depth:

QB Jason Gesser, 2 years, 1.5 million, 200k bonus
QB Seth Burford, 1 year, 570k, 80k bonus
HB Derrick Blaylock, 2 years, 1.3 million, 120k bonus
HB Olandis Gary. 1 year, 850k with 120k bonus
WR Eric Parker, 3 years for 2.75 mill with 510k bonus
WR Jimmy Redmond, 1 year, 590k, 80k bonus
WR Troy Edwards, 2 years, 1.89 million, 300k bonus


Our team now has the proper and needed depth.

[Abe Sargent]

From the FootballRatings.com Website:


Your 2005 Copperheads:

QB Marc Bulger, 78 Ovr
Jason Gesser, 59 Ovr
Seth Burford, 53 Ovr

RB Shawn Johnson, 86 Ovr
Olandis Gary, 66 Ovr
Derrick Blaylock, 57 Ovr

FB James Hodgins, 81 Ovr

WR Craig Campbell, 79 Ovr *
Antonio Freeman, 75 Ovr
Eric Parker, 68 Ovr
Troy Edwards, 67 Ovr
Jimmy Redmond, 53 Ovr

TE Anthony Becht, 75 Ovr
Cam Cleeland, 71 Ovr
Herman Miller, 64 Ovr

LT Richmond Webb, 78 Ovr
Brady Allen, 57 Ovr *

LG Martin Bibla, 76 Ovr
Wally Williams, 73 Ovr

C Dedric Arrington, 77 Ovr
Cris Forrest, 54 Ovr

RG Leon Searcy, 78 Ovr
Brad Green, 65 Ovr *

RT Jon Johnson, 79 Ovr
John St. Clair, 58 Ovr

LE Chidi Ahanotu, 78 Ovr
Joey Williams, 55 Ovr

RE Michael Roberts, 76 Ovr *
Dre Fisk, 61 Ovr

DT Steve Martin, 81 Ovr
Monsanto Pope, 80 Ovr
Reggie Fryar, 66 Ovr
Sean Nelson, 62 Ovr

LOLB Canute Curtis, 77 Ovr
Eddie Shakur, 65 Ovr

MLB Bryan Cox, 81 Ovr
Colby Solomon, 70 Ovr

ROLB John Thierry, 78 Ovr
Darnay Hill, 67 Ovr
Kendall Ortiz, 65 Ovr *

CB Troy Vincent, 94 Ovr
Doug Bronson, 83 Ovr
Ike Charlton, 71 Ovr
Tyrone Carter, 67 Ovr
Terry Fair, 67 Ovr
Vernon Marsh, 64 Ovr *
Chuck Carter, 59 Ovr

FS Marcus Robertson, 85 Ovr
Drew Copeland, 68 Ovr

SS Carl Sanders, 72 Ovr *
William Kinney, 68 Ovr

K Delvin Krause, 75 Ovr

P Matt Turk, 90 Ovr

[Abe Sargent]

Football.com:

Next up is the Arizona Copperheads. How did they fare in the draft? For the second year in Abe Sargent's tenure they ha da high draft pick and again they seemed to have used it well in selecting Craig Campbell. After reviewing each rookie in mini-camp, Craig has looked the best. It was a serious need and they filled it very well. In the second round they picked up Michael Roberts who is penciled in as their starter at the end spot that was vacated by Kendrick Office. Roberts appears to be better as a rookie than Kendrick, so it was a definite upgrade. In the third round they picked up strong safety Carl Sanders. He is starting this year for Blaine Bishop who retired.

But, after their first three rounds, again Arizona seems to find mostly backups. The best promise is guard Brad Green who is playing behind Leon Searcy. Searcy is close to retirement and Green could be called upon to start either by injury or retirement. He's just good enough to start right now, but starting time would skyrocket his ability. Other than that, it doesn't look good for the rookies. Corner Vernon Marsh is sixth on the depth chart, LB Ortiz is 3rd, and tackle Allen isn't that good.

They found three starters in the first three rounds, and that's good. But, other than that, they didn't do anything special. B-

[Abe Sargent]

Training Camp Report:

The following players were focused on in Training Camp:

Pocket Presence - QB Gesser - +2% Throwing Accuracy
Precision Passing - QB Bulger - +3% Throwing Accuracy
Chase and Tackle - SS Sanders - +2% Awareness
Swat Ball - CB Brosnon - +1% Acceleration
Trench Fight - RE Michael Roberts - +2% Strength
Clutch Kick - K Krause - +3% Kicking Accuracy
Corner Punt - P Turk - +3% Kicking Accuracy
Ground Attack - RB Shawn Johnson - +5% Break Tackle
Catching - WR Craig Campbell - +2 Catching


Shawn Johnson worked especially hard.


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Bulger-Becht Connection Lives Again in Arizona

Tony Sampezi
Mountaineer Sports Network


You can tell that fellow West Virginia University Alum Abe Sargent loves his school. After Abe acquired the Arizona Cardinals, he signed Canute Curtis to be his starting outside linebacker. The same Canute Curtis who set school records for sacks. Same Canute who was a Butkis Award finalist. Canute hadn't started any where for more than a game or two in his entire profssional career, but he came in as the starter for the Cardinals. Two years later, after 32 consecutive starts, Curtis is again at the top of the depth chart.

Then last year Abe went out and signed Marc Bulger. He ignored two highly rated rookies and found his starting quarterback from a fellow WVU alum. The same Marc Bulger who set school records for passing. Abe designated Marc his starter last year and he is entrenched again this year.

And this year, Abe's team, the Copperheads, picked up Anthony Becht, the former tight end for the Mountaineers. The connection? All Mountaineers and all players Abe saw on the field. He told us, "I didn't go to as many home games as I would have liked, but I saw all of these guys live."

So now Marc Bulger can again throw to Becht, his safety net. Who's next? Solomon Page? Amos Zereoue? Jerry Porter? Aaron Beasley? Mountaineer fans have something to watch this fall.

[Celeval]

Originally posted by Anxiety
And at quarterback I am continually impressed with Jeff Fulcher. Let's see more.

QB Tra Ilko from San Diego State. Goo dinterview, amazing arm strength, above average accuracy and 17 reps. Let's see what this guy can offer.

Where did these guys end up getting drafted?

Good stuff - sorry I missed my cue for the lawsuit. Was a little clueless for a week there. :rolleyes:

Kevin

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by Celeval
Where did these guys end up getting drafted?

Good stuff - sorry I missed my cue for the lawsuit. Was a little clueless for a week there. :rolleyes:

Kevin


No prob.

Tra went early in the 2nd and Fulcher went middle of the third. I would have taken Fulcher in the 4th but he wasn't there. Heck, I would have taken Fulcher in the 3rd but I needed a possible starter at SS more than a backup at QB. Ended up that Sanders was starter quality so it was a good move on my part.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Fans Protest New Cardinals


Steve Atwater
Minnesota Tribute


When Bill Bidwell, the new owner of the Minnesota Vikings announced that the team would be changing its mascot, the fans were in uproar. However, the protests have continued to grow in intensity the closer the Minnesota franchise has come to opening this season. The closer the team comes to having the Cardinals debut.

Fans have organized protests, but nothing like what was seen today at the first scrimmage between the offense and defense. The Minnesota Cardinals have an open practice to the public. And the scrimmages are open and free to any who wish to view. So, the public has used this first scrimmage as the vehicle to voice their disdain.

The entire stadium was full to capacity. In a sea of purple and gold. Practically every person wore yellow and purple, and contineud to cheer for the "Vikings." It was almost like the team had never changed logos, despite the uniforms worn.

One fan said, "It's not like they changed the name from the Vikings to the Cowboys or some halfway decent name. But the Cardinals? Comparing the Cardinals to the Vikings is like comparing a junior college to University of Wisconsin."

Another fan was quoted as saying that, "I'll never go a game as long as the team wears the Cardinals colors."

Bill Bidwell was unavailable for comment after the scrimmage.

[Abe Sargent]

Preseason Status:


Progression of Players (All numbers are overall) :

QB Jason Gesser, +1%

LT Brady Allen, +2%

C Cris Forrest, +2%

RT Jon Johnson, +1%

RE Michael Roberts, +2%
Dre Fisk, +1%

MLB Colby Solomon, +3%

ROLB Darnay Hill, +1%

CB Doug Bronson, +1%

FS Drew Copeland, +2%

SS Carl Sanders, +1%
William Kinney, +1%

K Dexter Krause, +2%


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Minnesota Continues to have Record Low Attendance


Steve Atwater
Minnesota Tribune


For the third game out of the four preseaon games, the Minnesota Cardinals had record lows for attendance. The first game had a little over 10,000 attend, the second 11,000, and the third 8,971. 8,971 stood as the lowest attendance for a Minnestoa game ever until yesterday, the fourth preseason game.

With an attendance of 6,291 yesterday, owner Bill Bidwell called an emergency press conference earlier today. He made a plea to the people of Minnesota to attend the games in the regular season. However, record lows that are quickly approaching the level of an Arena team are of a great concern to Bidwell, the fans, and the league.

Fans angered by the team changing mascots have stayed away from the games in record numbers. Those fans who have attended remain adorned with purple and gold. Old Vikings jerseys from Randy Moss to Daunte Culpepper to older jerseys like Sean Salisbury and Robert Griffith and Lindsay Everett are all across the stands on the backs of the few fans who choose to nreak the boyott and attand anyway.

"The players are still our players, and we have to support them. But we know that they bleed purple and gold," one local said. Unfortunately for owner Bill Bidwell and the league, few other fans agree.

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Preseason


Went 3-1 during the preseason. That was nice. Winning in Minnesota against the Cardinals was nice. It was even nicer to have the crowd chanting and supporting us in an away stadium.

I realized that they were cheering for us because we were not Bidwell. Because I had the good sense to shed the Cardinals moniker for a new one, it was so tainted. I am the anti-Bidwell. I have to accept that. I will embrace my role, starting this week.

-Abe Sargent

[JeeberD]

I think Billy Bidwell's been getting some ideas from the owner in Major League....

[Abe Sargent]

....the Copperheads lost this week 23-10 as the Rams proved too much for them. Arizona's unique home game losing streak continues....

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation Spoken Into a Microrecorder


This week, the staff and I agreed that we needed to toss in some trick plays. I'll have to call 5 trick plays during the game in ordre to fake out the defense.

TE Cam Cleeland is innured for several weeks. I sign TE Tracey Wistrom for one year, 530k.

We host the 49ers this week. We're already one game behind with our loss to the Rams at home last week, so this week is a very important game. Since it's an even numbered week, I all the plays for this game.

On the first play from scrimmage, I call a run up the gut by Shawn Johnson. He gets five yards, but Jon Johnson was clipping so its 1st and 20. I call a curl to Craig our rookie receeiver, to see what he can do. He breaks two tackles and goes 43 yards! Wow! What a debut catch for the NFL!!!

Bulger tosses a pick on a bad read over the middle and the 49ers get the ball. They are forced to go four and out after their first play resulted in a first down.

Terry Fair fumbles the punt return and the 49ers run it in for a score. 7-0

On our ensuing possession, I run Johnson up the middle twice. 11 yards the fist time, 26 the second. I call a HB pass. Johnson is hit as he throws and the ball is picked off and run in for a score. 14-0 49ers.

We have five possession changes before the 49ers kick a FG. Bulger is picked off again and another run for a TD. 24-0.

After halftime we force teh 49ers to punt. On 2nd and 8 I call another HB toss. This time Freeman gets to the ball but can't catch it. Receviers have been dropping balls all day. It's 3rd and 8. 13 yard completion to Parker moves the chains. His first catch today, and considering that he dropped two balls, he need to start catching them.

After SF hits another FG I call a WR Reverse to the left. Freeman gets 2 yards. We punt again.

Ahanotu gets his third sack of the day to knock SF out of FG range as the third quarter expires.

Early in the fourth Johnson breaks a 41 yard run for a TD. 27-7.

The 49ers return the ensuing kick for a TD. 34-7.

On our second play from scrimmage, the line opens a wide hole and Johnson gets to the secondary without being touched. He breaks the tackles of both safeties and is gone! 73 yard scamper. 34-14.

Doug Bronson forces a fumble and Troy Vincent recovers! But wait, SF Challenges......and it'sovertruned. 49er Ball!

We run and pass it down in burst. Bulger hits bakup TE Herman Miller on a Singleback Big ACE Streaks play fro,m the 4 to score!

34-21. 3:06 left in the game. Time for an onside kick..

The ball bounces, we fail to recover. On 3rd and five, they get the first. Two minute warning, we have one timeout remaining, and that's pretty much the game.

We hold the 49ers who kick a FG. Then on the kickoff.......

TERRY FAIR RETURNS THE BALL FOR A TD!!!!! 37-27 and I go for 2.

If we get the 2 point conversion, recover an onside kick, we'll have about 40 seconds left and down by 8.

I run Shawn up the middle. 2 point conversion!

We fail to recover the onside kick. And that's game.

Johnson finished the day with 251 rushing yards, 2 TDs and a 2 point conversion.

Ahanotu finished with 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 Sacks


So close....

[Abe Sargent]

....Monte Kiffin coached the Copperheads first win of the season as Bulger throws three touchdowns to defeat the Texans in Houston, 27-17....

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Week 4

So, to start off with, our dumb Quarterbacks burnt all of our timeouts early and I couldn't call any myself.

We start with the ball in Washington DC as we take n the Redskins. I call two run plays and its 3rd and 5. Herman Miller catches a first down ball. Four runs later it's 1st and 10 and I order a TE Streak to Becht. Complete. We get four first downs all told before the Redskins force us to kick a FG. 3-0 Us.

The Redskins fumble on 3rd and 2 at the 50 and we recover!!! I call a Flats pass to Johnson, 9 yards. A Play Action QB Rollout to Craig in the endzone is a bit off target. Johnson up the gut for 5 and a conversion. Anotehr conversion to Craig on a curl pattern. Bulger is sacked on 3rd and 4 and Krause has to kick another FG. 6-0 Copperheads.

Krause kicks a second touchback. Marcus Robertson picks off Patrick Ramsey on the second play of the Redskins drive and we have the ball at the 28.

Bulger leans back and tosss the ball to Hodgins on a curl. But Jesse Armstead intercepts the ball! He runs it all the way back for a TD. 7-6 Redskins. End of first quarter.

Becht drops a 2nd and 9 for the first down and Bulger has to throw it away on 3rd down due to pressure. First punt of the game.

The Redskins passing game begins to click. Two first downs and a Touchdown to Gardner makes it 14-6 Washington.

Next possession, I call a Pro Formation Curls play. Bulger is hit as he throws - a wild duck of a ball goes up and the safety comes down with the ball. Redskins ball at the 18.

Their first play, pass to Trung Candidate, Doug Bronson hits him and knocks the ball loose. Fumble! We recover! Whew, we are saved.

I call Johnson up the middle - 12 yards - his longest play from scrimmage today. 3rd and 3 and Bulger hits Craig in double coverage when his hitch pattern gets both the defenders off for a second.

Two more runs and 11 yards later - conversion #3. I call the perfect play on 1st and 10. Singleback, with the 3rd receiver in the slot going straight out. Lately, the defense has not been covering the receiver by a corner but a safety. This should result in the receiver catching the ball two yards deep and near the sideline with nobody near him. The play looks perfect but our third receiver drops the ball. I remember the play for later. I may substitute another receiver in the spot.

Two incompletions and we punt the ball to the 10. 5:01 left in the half. We hold the Redksins and they punt as the Two Minute warning goes off. Again, I have no timeouts to use.

I run up the gut and take off 3 yards and 40 seconds. Play number two is a Play Action Pass Streaks off the Singleback Big formation. The corner bites, Bulger hits Craig Campbell, and he is gone. 77 yards for a TD!!! 14-13 Skins.

The Skins complete 5 consecutive passes and get into FG range. The kick it up and it's good. 17-13 Skins and that's your halftime score.

The Skins start the second half with the ball. The kick is off and the ball is fumbled. Bryan Cox picks it up and rumbles into the endzone. 20-17 Copperheads. Did my Special Teams just come through again? Wow.

We exchnage possessions then the Skins drive. Down in the redzone, Ramsey tosses to his right and INTERCEPTION by Troy Vincent.

Our ensuing drive, which starts from the 5, includes several first downs by Johnson, a 1st down catch by Herman Miller, a 37 yard pass downfield to Craig, and a dropped pass in the endzone by Hodgins. A FG makes it 23-17 Cops.

I call a Robber coverage on Nickelback on 3rd and 6 and John Thierry makes a pick. We have the ball on the 24. A 15 yard run by Johnson and a 8 yard reception by the same gives us another TD and a score of 30-17 with 8:18 left in the game.

We grind off 6:47 off the clock and use two of Washington's time outs. Eventually, Shawn Johnson rushes for a TD but it was all on teh ground except for one 3rd and 5 when Becht caught a 6 yard pass for the conversion.

Final Score - 37-17 Arizona, with 24 straight points.

Shawn finished the day with 152 yards, Craig with 141 yards.

-Abe Sargent

[General Mike]

Great win! Go Copperheads!

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Wins Against Rams in Home Game


Aria Cybele
Phoenix Times

The Copperheads today proved too much for the Rams as they defeated St. Louis 17-7 in a game coached by Monte Kiffin. Thie win puts the Copperheads at 3-2 on the season and their first three game winning streak sine Abe Sargent took over the franchise two and a half years ago.

The hero on the day was Outside Linebacker Canute Curtis. Canute is one of the few original starters for the Abe Sargent era still starting for the team today. Curtis had 4 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and rushed it for a TD. He was named the NFL Player of the Week for Week 5 of the season.

This week's game was a struggle for defenses. Marc Bulger was stymied through the air and Shawn Johnson was stymied on the ground. The Rams, however, were held to only 7 points after Curtis's performance was joined by Defensive Tackle Steve Martin's two sacks. Many other players registered impressive defensive stats today as well.

Next week the Jaguars come into Sun Devil Stadium as the Copperheads try to make it four in a row.

[Abe Sargent]

Winless Cardinals Finally Win Against Panthers

Steve Atwater
Minnesota Tribune


Despite record low attendances, the Minnesota Cardinals finnaly notched thier first win of the season against the equally winless Panthers.

In the battle of beatens, 0-4 Minnesota hosted 0-5 Carolina. At the end of the day, 21-11 won the game for the Minnesota Cardinals. The attendance was just under 10,000 in the stands.

"We've had a hard first couple of games, but today marks the runing point in our frachise. Today, the Cardinals soar," owner Bill Bidwell was quoted as saying.

"I won't attend a game until the Vikings return," said Pete Jabeski, one of hundreds of displaced Vikings fans who mill around and tailgate outside of the stadium on gameday. Another was quoted as saying, "I'm not putting a dollar in the pocket of Bidwell, but I'm not changing my lifestyle either. I've been here every homegame for the past 31 years and I have no intention of stopping."

As the number of fans that wear purple and gold outside the stadium grows, so have the losses for the Cardinals. Until today.

[Abe Sargent]

QB Bulger to GM Abe Sargent After the Loss to the Jags, 26-13


Bulger: Yeah, I know, we were doing well.

Abe: Gotta stop tossing picks. That was ok for the Rams, who would score 75 points per game if it weren't for turnovers. But it's not okay for us.

Bulger: I know

Abe: Have more faith in the defense. A few weeks ago we allowed only 9 points on defense, and 3 of those were a field goal after an onsides kick. If you had tossed less picks, hen we'd have won the game.

Bulger: Look, I get it. I've been a quarterback for a long time. I know to minimize picks.

Abe: More game film for next week?

Bulger: Right

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Our Game vs. SF - Week 8



We play this week at San Francisco. I have to use my computer designated 3rd Down back this week, and that's Shawn Johnson, so no problems.

I open with the ball. Four straight runs gives us two completions. They stop us, however, and we kick. The punt is fielding by SF and returned up the right sideline for a TD. 7-0 SF.

We get the ball back. I order Johnson up the middle and on the first play from scrimmage, Johnson breaks three tackles and is gone. 77 Yards and he is over 100 yards with 7:58 still in the first quarter.

7-7 tied.

We force the 49ers to punt after Curtis sacks Garcia. We punt ourselves. SF has the ball on 3rd and 1 on their 34 and they decide to play action pass but our defense is too quick and they hit Garcia. He fumbles! Steve Martin recovers and we have the ball at the 28.

I call a Strong PA QB Rollout play and Bulger hits Freeman for 12 yards over the middle. The rest of the plays are all run and Johnson pounds it in for 7 more. 14-7 with 1:24 still in teh first quarter.

The 49ers begin the second quarter with an impressive drive capped off by a Garcia completion to our cornerback Troy Vincent in the endzone which gives us the ball at the 20.

We drive by running, running, and more running. From our own 20 to our opponent's 32 we just run. Fullback, Halfback, Off Tackle, Sweep, Up The Gut. Then we start mixing it up. Eventually, with just 3:34 left on the half clock, Bulger hits Becht on 3rd and 5 from the 6 for a TD on a TE Out play from the Singleback formation.

21-7 Cops. The 49ers make a late drive and kick a FG just before the half. 21-10 at the half.

The 49ers start with the ball in the second half. After a first down, Steve Martin sacks Garcia and puts SF in a certain passing situation. We force them to punt and we get the ball on our 46.

I call a pass that falls incomplete. Two runs later we have a first down. I call a pass again, but the defense is loaded to the left side of the field heavily. I audible to a run, then change the direction of the run to the left. Bulger snaps, hands the ball off the Johnson, who breaks one tackle and scores!

42 yard run by Johnson, his third rushing TD and he's over 200 yards rushing. 28-10.

San Francisco drives. Barlow gets great yards after catch as he gets two first downs by plowing through Copperheads. A Pope sack ends the drive and they score 3. 28-13.

We are forced to punt but Doug Bronson picks off Garcia and runs it into the endzone. 35-13.

The 49ers drive but are stimed by two Canute Curtis sacks. They go for it on fourth and turn it over on downs.

We drive mainly on the ground using QB Sneaks, FB Blasts, and the like. We are stopped, but within Krause's range. 38-13.

I take a kneel on the 3rd yard line when we could have scored another TD as a sign of sportsmanship.

38-13 is the final score.

Some stats:

Bulger passed for 28 yards
Johnson ran for 253
Curtis had 4 sacks, Pope 3 - The team had 9 sacks on the day.


-Abe Sargent

[Abe Sargent]

Copperhead Forum Postings

"Monte Kiffin couldn't coach a dog to sit."

"Lost 17-12 in St. Louis"

"At least Johnson had another big day. 171 yards under Kiffin."

"Man, we coulda been 5-3."

"Might have had a shot at the playoffs."

"Still could fellas, there's still hope."

"Yep, need ta go 6-2 in the second half."

"Better team than last year."

"Possibly."

"They finish 8-8 it'd be a big improvement."

"No receiver has more'n 315 yards. That's funny."

"It's because Shawn J has 1220 yards in 8 games."

"Shawn is the Copperheads. Simple as that."

"No it's not. Good defense too.

[Abe Sargent]

Defensive Tackle Martin Injured

Sammy Rogers
Arizona Sun


Earlier this week, Defensive Tackle Steve Martin of the Arizona Copperheads was reported as "Doubtful" for next week's game against the Giant here at Sun Devil Stadium. After all, Martin was not injured in last week's game.

Nor was he injured in practice, the Arizona Sun learned after investigating. No, instead, Steve martin was injured off the football field at home.

Tripping over his dog.

Which brings up several questions. What could Steve have been doing that was physical enough that tripping over his dog resulted in a moderate injury? Hmmm? Playing football with the dog again, eh Steve?

On a more serious note, Martin will miss the game, but Reggie Fryar will get the first start of his career. He better be ready because the Giants have a good offensive line. Martin will be missed this week.

But, when the dog's away, the cat will play.

[Abe Sargent]

Some Stats from the Copperheads Last Minute Victory over New York:

CB/KR Terry Fair's PR TD was ultimately a deciding score in the contest

QB Marc Bulger had his highest rating all year - 81.3. No picks.

RB Shawn Johnson only had 130 yards on 30 carries. He also fumbled and scored the only offensive TD.

WR Eric Parker showed up in this game, grabbing 4 balls for 48 yards and the team's largest ply from scrimmage in teh game.

DT Monsanto Pope registered the only sack of the day for teh Copperheads.

K Dexter Krause's 53 yard field goal is his career longest.

The Final Score was 19-14, Arizona.

[Abe Sargent]

NFC WEST STANDINGS (After Week 11)

6-4 49ers
6-4 Seahawks
5-5 Rams
5-5 Copperheads

This is after Arizona's loss last week at the 1-8 Panthers 27-3.

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Owner Sick

AP Wire

Arizona Copperheads owner Abe Sargent came down sick earlier today and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors are uncertain as to the cause, and extensive tests have been ordered. Sargent is reported as stable.

Abe Sargent was on the rotation for the playcalling this week. Monte Kiffin will call the plays in his absence.

[Abe Sargent]

Vic Ketchman's Notes


Results of the two more weeks of Monte Kiffin:

Loss Hosting Bears 24-31
Loss Hosting Colts 6-10


WR Eric Parker suffered a career ending injury when his vertebrae broke. He was placed on IR.

Abe Sargent is released from the hospital but he is not allowed to coach for a while. Since the team is likely out of playoff contention anyway, he relents. Monte calls the plays for the next two games:


Defeat Eagles 17-10
Defeat Cowboys 10-0

7-7.

Two games left. If all three NFC West teams lose and the Copperheads win this week, then there is an outside chance the Cops could win it in week 17. Johnson is 153 yards away from a 2000 yard season.

Monte Calls the Plays:

At Tennessee....

Cops lose. 10-20

Final Game is 20-10 victory over the Seahawks.

-Vic

[Abe Sargent]

Playoffs:

Wild Card Weekend:

Steelers at Broncos
Giants at Eagles
Dolphins at Bengals
Saints at Seahawks

Winners are

Steelers, 46-27
Eagles, 21-14
Bengals, 25-20
Seahawks, 49-27


Division Championship Round:

Steelers at Colts
Seahawks at Falcons
Bengals at Patriots
Eagles at Packers


Winners:

Colts, 20-0
Seahawks, 23-14
Bengals 31-24
Packers, 19-7


Championships:


AFC Championship - Bengals at Colts

NFC Championship - Seahawks at Packers


Colts 23, Bengals, 20

Packers 52, Seahawks 16


Super Bowl -

Indianapolis Colts

vs.

Green Bay Packers


Packers 21
Colts 24


Your Super Bowl Champions are the Colts!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Awards:

RB Shawn Johnson -

NFL MVP (#5 Vote Getter)
NFC Offensive Player of the Year
NFL Off Play of Year (#2 Vote Getter)
NFC Best Running Back
NFL Best Running Back (#2 Vote Getter)

WR Craig Campbell -

NFC Off Rookie of the Year (#2 Vote Getter)
NFL Off Rook of Year (#3 Vote Getter)


SS Carl Sanders

NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year (#5 Vote Getter)

RT Jon Johnson

NFC Best Offensive Lineman (#3 Vote Getter)


Pro Bowl:

HB Shawn Johnson (#1)

RT Jon Johnson (#1) Top Vote Getter of any O-Lineman, 3rd Most of any player

LT Richmond Webb (#1)
RG Leon Searcy (#1)
C Dedric Arrington (#1)
CB Doug Bronson (#4)

[Abe Sargent]

Stats:

QB Marc Bulger, 2521 yards, 13 TDs, 21 Ints

RB Shawn Johnson, 2022 rushing yards, 12 TDs, 61 receptions, 502 yards, 4 TDs

WR Craig Campbell, 56 catches, 759 yards, 4 TDs

WR Antonio Freeman, 52 snatches, 639 yards, 1 TD

RT Jon Johnson, 86 Pancakes, 8 Sacks Allowed

C Dedric Arrington, 73 Pancakes, 7 Sks Allow

RG Leon Searcy, 72 Pans, 8 SkA

ROLB John Thierry, 89 Tacks, 15 TFL, 7 Sacks, 1 Int, 1 FF, 4 FumRec

DT Steve Martin, 40 Tacks, 8 TFL, 8 Sacks, 3 FF, 3 FumRec

LOLB Canute Curtis, 62 Tacks, 2 TFL, 7 Sacks, 3 FF, 2 FumRec, 1 Def TD

DT Monsanto Pope, 34 Tacks, 2 TFL, 6 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 FumRec

CB Troy Vincent, 54 Tacks, 1 TFL, 5 Ints, 1 FF, 1 FumRec, 1 Def TD

CB Doug Bronson, 69 Tacks, 2 TFL, 3 Ints, 3 FF, 3 FumRec, 1 Def TD

DEs Michael Roberts, Chidi Ahanotu and Dre Fisk accounted for 14 sacks.

CB/KR Terry Fair had 1 KR TD and 1 PR TD

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Balance Sheet:

Income -

Ticket Sales - 30.5 Mill
Concessions - 3.55 Mill
Parking - 1.55 Mill
Merchandise - 3.1 Mill
Shared Revenue - 73.45 Mill

Total Income - 112.15 Mill


Expenses -

Player Salaries - 62 Mill
Coach Salaries - 5.4 Mill
Stadium Maintenance - 16.1 Mill

Total Expenses - 83.5 Mill

2005 Net Income - 28.65 Mill


Total Assets - 18.65 Mill

[Abe Sargent]

Shawn Johnson Again Snubbed by NFL


Last year, Shawn Johnson was left off the NFC Pro Bowl list despite notching a 1700+ yard season as a running back, which led the NFL.

So, this year, there is a lot of respect for Shawn J., right? After all, the man who many refer to as "Shawn Jay" registered a 2000+ running season. A feat that is extremely rare, Shawn led the NFC Running Backs for the Pro Bowl this year.

And the credit is not solely Shawn's. Last year, offensive lineman Richmond Webb and Leon Searcy were in the Pro Bowl. This year, they return, joined by sophomore offensive linemen Jon Johnson and Dedric Arrington. In fact, these four lineman all led their positions for the NFC. Sunday, when the NFC takes the field against the AFC, four of the five starting linemen will be Copperheads, as well as the running back.

And yet, Shawn Jay was snubbed. Not by the Pro Bowl voters, but by the NFL Awards committee. Now, Brett Favre most likely deserved a fourth NFL MVP award. But, maybe Shawn Jay, who has led the league in rushing the past two years, also deserved to win. No matter.

But when the league came time to hand out the Best Running Back Trophy, they chose Ricky Williams. Admittedly, Ricky had a great season, and he was the AFC winner of the title. But to beat out Shawn?

Ricky ran for almost 400 less yards. He did catch a little over 150 yards more and scored 4 additional touchdowns aerially and on the ground. But, if the job of a running back is to run, then Shawn should be rewarded for registereing one of the best rushing seasons ever. Mind you, this is the year after Shawn rushed for 325 yards, smashing all previous single game rushing records.

This year, Shawn was a game by himself when the quarterback passed for a grand total of 28 yards after sacks. He was the offense. No running back has performed a similar feat in normal weather.

The Copperheads won 8 games this year. How man wins did Johnson account for? Six? Seven? Is it safe to say that all eight games would have been lost if a pedestrian running back were in the position?

And yet a Ricky Williams on a team loaded with talent wins despite significantly inferior rushing yardage and yards from scrimmage. Shawn Johnson was snubbed by the league this year. In a year when his greatness should be celebrated and embraced, when new fans are looking for new stars, the league turns elsewhere. The league ran elsewhere, which may be the only running feat more inexplicable than Shawn's.

[Abe Sargent]

Rumors of Copperheads Relocation Abound


John Clayton
ESPN.com


Rumors of a possible relocation by the Copperheads have leaked from the franchise. For the past three years, the team has been owned by new owner Abe Sargent, who has turned over the staff, the players, and the mascot, and now, maybe the location.

The Arizona Copperheads do not have their own stadium, instead sharing 30 year old Sun Devil Stadium with the University. Since recent plans to build a new stadium have failed, the idea of moving the franchise is nothing new. The voters again refused a new stadium plan.

So, where are the Copperheads bound? There are several options:

Los Angelos: The largest current market without a franchise is long overdue. The LA market is ideal for relocation. However, stadium issues continue and the votoers are hostile to building a new stadium. Although these issues are surmountable, they are significant.

Las Vegas: The City of Sin has doubled in size over the last decade. The people here are conservative type people who tend to go to football games and there are enough high income fans to fill the boxes. The NFL has rejected expansion offers from Nevada in the past. Has the league and society changed in the past few years and do they have a new view towards Nevada football? If so, the Vegas market is the second best choice in America.

Mexico City: The largest TV market in North America is Mexico City. With such a large number of potential fans to draw upon, relocation to Mexico City is very attractive. However, the fan base is more concerned with soccer and baseball. Additionally, the economy in the region is not stable, adn the dollar-peso conversion will cause problems indefinitely for the franchise.

Toronto: The largest TV market in Canada also offers a very attractive option. Of the international options, Toronto has the most stable economy and an established football fan base. Toronto has proven a successful home to both the Blue Jays and the Raptors. The CFL team is one of the better attended in the league. There are still currency issues, but the other professional teams seem to survive.

Portland: Another American option, Portland is one of several areas that have established professional sports franchises but lack a football team. Other possibilities include Salt Lake City, San Jose, Columbus and San Antonio.


Ultimately, if the Copperheads stay or leave, a long-term commitment needs to be made.

[Abe Sargent]

Minnesota Changes Name Back to Vikings

Steve Atwater
Minnesota Tribune

Under tremendous pressure from both fans and comunity officials, owner Bill Bidwell has announced that he will rename the Minnesota Cardinals the Vikings.

Suffering the lowest attendance ever recorded for a football team in the modern era, Bill Bidwell was under a massive spotlight as the boycott continued. No home game sported more that 15,000 people. Those fans who chose to show up wore purple and gold virtually exclusively.

The Vikings will return to the old uniform, colors, mascot and logo. After one miserable season, the Cardinal Experiment in Minnesota is offically over. And every Minnesota fan breathes a sigh of relief.

[Abe Sargent]

Press Conference from Sun Devil Stadium, 3:57 pm

Abe Sargent: Hello and thank you for coming today. As we have done in the past, we are using this conference to announce some major news, and then we will take questions. This may take a bit, so bear with us.

As of tomorrow, a proposal will be submitted to the people of Las Vegas to build a stadium there. That stadium is the proposed home of the Copperheads. This, in and of itself, should not be that shocking. A stadium deal here in Arizona fell through as it has for the past ten years.

The stadium is unnamed at this time. The stadium will cost 353.85 million dollars to construct. The proposal is for the people of Las Vegas to pay for sixty percent of the cost. We will outlay 90 million of our own dollars, and the remaining monies will comes from seat licenses and such.

Last night, the NFL owners met and the proposed move to Las Vegas was approved. Vegas is the fastest growing area in the states. It has the economic structure necessary to support a major sports franchise.

The team name will remain the Copperheads, although our uniforms have been tweaked a bit. The home uniforms look better, to be honest.

Local officials in the city believe that our proposal will pass considerably, and that the move to Las Vegas is as close to guaranteed as anything can be in politics.

We will continue to play here in Sun Devil Stadium for the next two years as construction takes place in Vegas.

The stadium features a scoreboard on either side of the stadium, a lot of extended seating, and a maximum amount of boxes. We believe that casinos and other high priced tourist businesses will pounce on skyboxes for a local NFL team.

We understand that this will not be a popular decision with the fans in Arizona, but the fans in Arizona also need to recognize that they had several chances to keep us here, and we are only leaving because it is economically viable for us to do so.

Now, I'll take questions.

Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: Will Coppie, the Cuddly Snake make the trip to Las Vegas.

Abe: I have no plans to change our mascot. Coppie will join us, yes.

Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: According to your financial report, the Copperheads made almost 30 million last year. How is staying in Arizona at this stadium not feasible?

Abe: Shalonda, remember that we were almost 25 million under the cap. Yes, we made 28 million, but only because we made a conscious decision between being competetive and being healthy. No NFL team should have to make that decision.

Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: Will the colors and logo remain the same?

Abe: Yes, just the uniform will change, and very slightly. The home uniform, for example, will feature white pants with copper and aqua trim.

Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: What do you tell fans who purchased Copperheads merchandise?

Abe: They can still be Copperhead fans. Plus I have every intention of delivering Arizona a winner this year. In our last year here, I think we owe them that.

Sy Rosenberg, The Sporting News: Why Vegas over another place, like LA?

Abe: Vegas had everything that I was looking for. A strong business base, good football fans for a core base, high growth, wealthy patrons, what's not to like?

Nesmit McCall, 1080 AM Sports Talk Radio: Doesn't the gambling issue scare you?

Abe: I know that the gambling thing has turned off people around the league in the past, I get that. What I don't get is why people think that the house will bet more, or more heavily, or exert undue influence on a player from a local team. That is so nineteenth century. With modern journalism, casino ethics, and transportation, there in no reason that a local team should worry. If gambling is a problem , then it's a problem for every team not just one a few miles from casinos. Besides, Ford Field, in Detroit, is blocks from the heavy Detroit casinos. Are there any problems there? The whole Las Vegas-Casino was blown way out of proportion.

Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: How many people will the new stadium hold?

Abe: 75,011 people.

Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: Will it be open or closed?

Abe: Open air, 8 lights.

Sandy Alderman, Channel 7 News: Isn't Sun Devil Stadium actually 48 years old, not thirty?

Abe: That sounds right. I have a bad head for numbers. I remembered "More than thirty." Look, you guys have been great. I know that some of you are assigned the Copperheads beat, and will follow us north. Others will remain here. But I have a tremendous amount of respect for each of you. Thanks for making it fun!

[Abe Sargent]

Scouting Memo:


The following player's abilities changed during the course of the season (all numbers are the player's overall ratings and are out of 100):


QB Marc Bulger, -1
Jason Gesser, +1
Seth Burford, -5

HB Shawn Johnson, +3
Olandis Gary, -5
Derrick Blaylock, -4

WR Craig Campbell, +2
Troy Edwards, -4
Jimmy Redmond, -3

TE Cam Cleeland, -8
Tracey Wistrom, -5

LG Martin Bibla, +1
Wally Williams, -6

C Dedric Arrington, +3

RG Leon Searcy, +2

RT Jon Johnson, +4
John St. Clair, -7

LE Joey Williams, -1

RE Michael Roberts, +2
Dre Fisk, +4

DT Monsanto Pope, +2
Steve Martin, +1

LOLB Canute Curtis, +3
Eddie Shakur, -1

MLB Bryan Cox, +2
Colby Solomon, +4

ROLB John Thierry, +3
Darnay Hill, +3
Kendall Ortiz, +1

CB Doug Bronson, +3
Ike Charlton, +2
Tyrone Carter, +1
Terry Fair, -9

FS Drew Copeland, +4

SS Carl Canders, +5
William Kinney, +3

K Dexter Krause, +2


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Administration Memo:


For the third year, the our team has led the league in the number of players retiring. This year, five players called it quits. Four other franchises also had five players retire. Our retirees are:

CB Troy Vincent - Our shutdown corner didn't last very long.

FS Marcus Robertson - Has decided to call it quits after a pretty good season.

RT Richmond Webb - Two Pro Bowl Years to finish his career. Add in a 2000 yard rusher and this man may be Canton bound.

WR Antonio Freeman - After putting up poor stats and continuing to see declining numbers, Freeman has seen the writing on the wall and called it quits.

WR Eddie Parker - Suffered career ending injury to backbone.


We have 54.30 million available in cap space. No players are holding out.


-Frankinnoble
VP of Admin

[Abe Sargent]

Scouting Assessment of Players

Here is the Director of Scouting's opinion on the positions:


Quarterback - Marc Bulger is not the answer at quarterback. Although under contract for another two years, a new QB needs to be found. The passing game was anemic at times last year, and new blood is necessary. We have two QBs under contract, a new starter would be our third. We could then either trade Bulger or keep him and pay his salary.

Running Back - We have Shawn Johnson under contract for two more years. Blaylock is under contract for this year. We need to find a long term backup with youth to spell Johnson. FB Hodgins has been acceptable, but nothing to write home about. If Fullback were a higher profile position, we'd be under pressure to replace him.

Receiver - Craig Campbell looked good. The only other receiver we have under contract is Troy Edwards who lost a step. We need a starting receiver and and least one young long-term backup.

Tight End - With three tight ends under contract some may say we have enough, but we don't. Cleeland's continuing deterioration is a major item of concern. I recommend we cut him and find another end.

Offensive Tackle - Pro-bowl Jon Johnson is currently our best O-Lineman and under contract. Richmond Webb retired leaving only Brady Allen at Left Tackle. A new starting tackle must be found. We'll also need a backup at RT.

Offensive Guard - Loen Searcy and Martin Bibla are both under contract. A backup at LG would be necessary.

Center - We have both centers under contract this year.

Defensive End - All four of our defensive ends are under contract.

Defensive Tackle - Steve Martin is a solid inside presence. backups are under contracts. Monsanto Pope is continuing to grow. He is currently a free agent. We recommended resigning Pope.

Outside Linebacker - Three right side backers are under contract. On the left side, backup Shakur is also under contract. However, Canute Curtis is not. Canute has grown and developed into a pretty good linebacker, and should be resigned.

Middle Linebacker - Although Bryan Cox is still a good linebacker, he is 38. MLB Colby Solomon has developed to the point where is now a capable starter. We recommend not resigning Cox and instead starting Solomon. A backup will be necessary in that case.

Cornerback - Although we have six corners under contract, Troy Vincent's retirement leaves vacant the hole at corner. Ike Charlton has grown as a nickelback, but we feel that he will never be a good starting corner in this league. We recommend finding a starting cornerback.

Safeties - SS Carl Sanders grew remarkably last year. Backup William Kinney looks very strong. FS Drew Copeland may be able to slide into the starting role at FS if another cannot be found.

Kickers - Dexter Krause has developed into a major kicker. We recommend that he be resigned. Turk is a solid choice at punter, and he is under contract.


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Pre-Combine Conversation


Mike Ackerly: So I think that we need to look at Free Safety, Wide Receiver, Left Tackle, Cornerback and Quarterback.

Monte Kiffin: I think that Marc Bulger has a starting quarterback in him.

Abe Sargent: What about RG? Leon isn't going to be around much longer now.

Mike: True.

Vic: When you draft in the 15 spot, it becomes harder to predict who will be around.

Mike: That's true. Our staff has rated 17 rookies with definite first round grade this year. We can get one in the first round.

Vic: Where does our need meet first round grades?

Mike: Two tackles, three corners and a receiver.

Abe: Let's scout all six then.

Monte: What about free safety?

Mike: This year's free safety class seems very weak - literally. They have tackling and strength issues. The best two tacklers come from Miami and West Virginia.

Abe: WVU?

Mike: Yes.

Abe: Sylvester Kent?

Mike: Yes.

Abe: Scout them both then.

Vic: What about late round quarterbacks?

Mike: Sam McClain out of Rice and Donald Jefferson from Auburn both have late round grades but appear to have great ball skills.

Monte: I'd like a closer look.

Mike: Certainly.

Abe: Receiver depth?

Mike: Three receivers have late first, early second round grades. There is also a 3rd-4th rounder I like.

Abe: Scout 'em up for us. How many is that?

Vic: Fourteen. Any other corners?

Mike: Carlton Campbell from Hawaii has a 2nd to 3rd round grade and is one of the few corners this year physical enough to handle tackling assignments.

Abe: That makes 15 then. We've gotten pretty good at this, eh fellas?

[Abe Sargent]

Combine Meeting #1


Mike Ackerly: Alright, here are some reports. Let's start with the QB one. As you can see, both McClain and Jefferson did passably well, but nothing amazing. Neither is particularly bright, and McClain is rather poor.

At tackle, Kwame George from Notre Dame did very well. He is smart and strong - good qualities. Brad is less strong and less smart, but we need to keep scouting, because at pick 15, we may not get a chance on George.

At recevier several interesting develoments occured. Richard Sindle, of Notre Dame, simply doesn't have the speed to compete. Tito Simpson, a late first early second guy was very fast and very strong. He's from Bucknell, so his competetion was never great, but we did well picking up Craig from JMU last year, so you never know. Number one receiver Ryan Heyward didn't really distinguish himself from the pack.

First round grade corners were in three this year. CB Riddick Wilkins, from Princeton, the fastest at 4.23 speed, is also short and a bad tackler. CB Aaron Mosling, of Michigan State, has 4.44 speed but injury problems continue. And CB Bill Grant from Hawaii is a little on the slower side of life with a 4.46 speed.

Last, free safety. WVU player Sylvester Kent was, honestly, miscast as a free safety. He's a good tackler, and strong, but he is 4.53 40 time slow. Richard Harper is faster at 4.44 and had a better interview. However, we discovered some injury problems with him as well.

Abe Sargent: Who do you suggest we continue to look at?

Mike: This was not a good starting crop of players, to be honest. I like kepping both the tackles. CB Grant and Wilkins from the first round grade trio. WR Heyward is someone I'd like to give a chance to. Tito Simpson definitely. And QB Jefferson. So, seven players.

Vic: I like the top overall QB. You can't be too sure when a QB will drop.

Monte: Jerry Rich? Ole Miss?

Vic: Yeah.

Mike: Alright. There's also some good players who may have fallen through the cracks. CB Andrew Ross from Miami looks tempting although he has 5'9" height, he is quite intelligent and lightning fast. FS Patrick Stevens of Kansas State is very quick too with a strong interview. Come to think of it, I'd like to look more at Sylvester from WVU at the FS position.

Abe: Sounds good.

Mike: HB Shaun Davis is one of several mid round graded backs with a good interview and quick feet. He appears to be the bes tof the bunch. WR Erik Olsen was fast and intelligent, always a good sign. And TE Ryan Stabler had a poor interview, but he has the best hands and fastest feet of any TE in the draft. last LT Montae Johnson who seems to have the skills and strength in place.

Vic: That's fifteen

Abe: Let's do it then.

[Abe Sargent]

Last Combine Meeting

Abe Sargent: As I said yesterday, I gave Mike the go ahead to finish scouting the players. Some players look much better than others. Look for a report soon. Are there questions?

Vic: I was hearing something about QB Rich.

Mike: He is scouted as having great arm strength, but we didn't see it today. In fact, we saw a pretty weak arm overall.

Monte: Wow. What about corner?

Mike: Riddick Wilkins, from Princton, is our leading corner on the board.

Vic: Receiver?

Mike: Although Ryan Heyward has a 1st round grade, Tito Simpson has looked good. We have them both at the top, jockeying for position.

Abe: Tackle?

Mike: Kwame, Kwame, and Kwame. Brad is good, but we found out he has a learning disability. That may impair his ability to read the playbook and learn the plays. Montae looks good as well and we are comfortable drafting any of them at this point.

Abe: Free Safety?

Mike: Patrick Stevens is decent, although at this time, we may look for a late round pickup and let whoever it is challenge for the position in camp. There are no studs here this year.

Monte: Those backups we looked at?

Mike: We spent the third day reviewing several backup halfback options, so we have several ideas for mid round pickups there. Other than that, we'll have to pick up players where we can.

Abe: Alright, thank you very much Mike.

[Abe Sargent]

While waiting for the Copperheads Pick


Mel Kiper: ...so you're right, the Copperheads proved that their draft two years ago was amazing. In just the second year of their careers, four of the rookies selected in that draft made it to the Pro Bowl. We may have seen Shawn Johnson and Doug Bronson, their first round selections, in the Pro Bowl. But nobody saw Dedric Arrington, for example.

Their entire war room team needs to get significant credit. Abe Sargent makes the decisions, but Coach Kiffin, Director of Scouting Mike Ackerly, and VP of Public Relations Vic Ketchman are an amazing team. Last year's draft produced a solid strong safety and defense end, and really good receiver. There may very well be another Pro Bowler in there.

Chris Berman: So what are the Copperheads looking for?

Mel: A tackle to replace Richmond Webb, a cornerback, a receiver, and a free safety. Of the four, I'd say need is Tackle, receiver, corner and safety, in that order.

Jimmy: They also let Bryan Cox go to start an undrafted rookie from two years ago while another undrafted rookie just signed a long term contract at Kicker.

Chris: You can say a lot of things about Abe Sargent. And his recent decision to move to Las Vegas has proved quite controversial. But he knows the right way to build a franchise is though youth. Tackle Jon Johnson may have had the best performance of any offensive lineman last year in the league.

Jimmy: If I had to build a team from scratch, I'd want him as one of my two anchors.

Mel: No doubt that the Copperheads had the best offensive line in football last year. But they have to find a passing game in order to advance in the playoffs. A mammoth running game and good defense will not get you too much farther. Most teams need to find defense and running to get to the playoffs, but the Copperheads are the opposite.

Chris: So, where do you see the Copperheads going with this draft?

Mel: If they pick up a quarterback or offensive guard it won't surprise me. Also, depth at linebacker or defensive tackle may come. Defensive Coordinator Pepper Johnson has been pretty good at developing his players' talents. Even players like Bryan Cox and John Thierry are getting better under Pepper's watch.

Jimmy: It's good that they resigned Pepper Johnson as the defensive coordinator. Who's the new offensive coordinator?

Chris: Marc Trestman. And Gunther Cunningham as the special teams coordinator.

Jimmy: Ah yes, that's it.

Chris: So, comparing who is still on the board with need, where do the Copperheads look for the 15th pick?

Mel: There are a lot of players hanging around with definite first round grades, we have tackle, corner...

Chris: Hold on, here come Paul Taglibue.

Paul Tags: With the 15th overall selection of the 2006 Rookie Draft, the Arizona Copperheads select the Left Tackle from Notre Dame Kwame George.

Mel: I love this pick. No offensive tackles had been selected yet, so the Cops had their pick of any player. You need someone to step in and take the place of Richmond Webb, which is no easy feat. This shows a continued commitment to developing one of the best offensive lines in football.

Jimmy: I love Kwame's motor. He brings it again and again.

Mel: Let's take a look at some tape from his college days...

[Abe Sargent]

Round 2

Chris: We continue to have receivers fall. This year, 10 first round selections were made. The Copperheads are on the clock, Mel, who's fallen on your board?

Mel: Three players with first round grades are still left on the board. Corner Aaron Mosling, Tackle Brad Strauser, and Linebackler Orlando Greer. Of these three, Arizona scouted both Mosling and Strauser at the combine. But they already picked a left tackle, so I think they have to go for Mosling. It's where need meets quality. And at this position, Aaron Mosling represents quality.

Chris: We'll see if you're right in just a second...

Tags: With the 47th overall selection in the 2006 Draft, the Copperheads select the defensive back from Michigan State, Aaron Mosling.

Chris: Easy prediction.

Mel: But I was right....

[Abe Sargent]

ProFootball Weekly's Draft Evaluation

How did they do?

Arizona Copperheads - The Cops made good selections in the first two rounds, although left tackle Brad Strauser fell deep into the second round and the Cops could have had a starting caliber tackle there as well. It worked out because Corner Aaron Mosling also fell. Although Aaron does have some issues, like alingering back injury, he was first round material.

The Copperheads believe they found starters at corner and left tacke in their first two rounds. In the third round, they picked up running back Shaun Lewis. Maybe they saw something we didn't because we are not that thrilled with Lewis here at PFW. Free Safety Richard Harper in the fourth was a good pickup. But the remaining three selections were ratehr poor. CB Marvin Bates from California, RG Jamie Shaw from LSU and FB Bernie Norton from WIlliam and Mary. None of them should prove to be anything other than backups, and not even good backups at that.

Overall draft grade - C

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA COPPERHEADS PRESS RELEASE

New Rookies All Signed

Earlier today, in what has become tradition, all seven rookies signed their contracts simultaneously in a ceremony at Sun Devil Stadium.

Coaches Monte Kiffin, Pepper Johnson, Marc Trestman, and Gunther Cunningham were on hand to welcome the new rookies at the ceremony. Owner Abe Sargent presided, introducing each one to the press.

The following players were drafted, along with their college and their contract information. They are in order of round drafted:

1. Left Tackle Kwame George, Notre Dame, 5 years 8.2 million with 1.2 mill bonus

2. Cornerback Aarom Mosling, Michigan State, 4 years, 4.75 million, 800k bonus

3. Halfback Shaun Davis, Illinois, 4 years, 2 million, 280k bonus

4. Free Safety Richard Harper, Miami (FL), years, 1.5 mill, 210k

5. Cornerback Marvin Bates, California, 4 years, 1.45 mill, 200k

6. Right Guard Jamie Shaw, Louisiana State, 3 years, 800k, 120k bonus

7. Fullback Bernie Norton, William and Mary, 3 years, 790k, 60k bonus

[Abe Sargent]

Free Agency Report


As you know, we went into the free agency auction with one goal - Receiver Deion Branch. With our cap room, and his ability, nothing was going to stop us.

On day one, we offered Deion a contract. On day two, his alma mater New England upped the contract. We beat it. On day three, he signed with us. Excellent.

We waited until after the bidding had died down and signed the following players:

QB Tim Levcik, 1 year, 700k, 80k bonus
HB Quentin Griffin, 1 year, 750k, 100k bonus
WR Branden Lloyd, 3 years, 3 million, 510k bonus
WR Terrence Wilkins, 1 year, 800k, 50k bonus
LG Joseph Bell, 1 year, 530k, 60k bonus
RT Dave Smith, 3 years, 1.8 mill, 240k bonus *
MLB Donny Jones, 3 yrs, 2.75 mill, 510k bonus*

Note that Dave and Donny were rookies on the free agency market. Both had been drafted and subsequently cut by their teams.

We needed to cut two of our own players to make the final cut. We cut:

CB Vernon Marsh
CB Chuck Carter

We had 39.01 Million in Cap Space after these moves. A few of our players are in a contract year and might want to renegiotiate. I recommend that we do so for up and comers this year.

-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

From FootballRatings.com


Your 2006 Arizona Copperheads:

QB Marc Bulger, 78
Jason Gesser, 62
Tim Levcik, 54

HB Shawn Johnson, 91
Shaun Davis, 65 *
Quentin Griffin, 64
Derrick Blaylock, 53

FB James Hodgins, 81
Bernie Norton, 62 *

TE Anthony Becht, 75
Herman Miller, 64
Cam Cleeland, 63

WR Deion Branch, 86
Craig Campbell, 82
Brandon Lloyd, 70
Troy Edwards, 63
Terrence Wilkins, 56

LT Kwame George, 74 *
Brady Allen, 59

LG Martin Bibla, 77
Joseph Bell, 49

C Dedric Arrington, 80
Cris Forrest, 56

RG Leon Searcy, 80
Brad Green, 65
James Shaw, 58 *

RT Jon Johnson, 84
Dave Smith, 57 *

LE Chidi Ahanotu, 78
Joey Williams, 54

RE Michael Roberts, 81
Dre Fisk, 66

DT Monsanto Pope, 82
Steve Martin, 82
Reggie Fryar, 68
Sean Nelson, 62

LOLB Canute Curtis, 80
Eddie Shakur, 64

MLB Colby Solomon, 77
Donny Jones, 67

ROLB John Thierry, 81
Darnay Hill, 71
Kendall Ortiz, 66

CB Doug Bronson, 87
Aaron Mosling, 74 *
Ike Charlton, 73
Tyrone Carter, 68
Marvin Bates, 65 *
Terry Fair, 58

FS Drew Copeland, 74
Richard Harper, 69 *

SS Carl Sanders, 79
William Kinney, 72

K Dexter Krause, 84

P Matt Turk, 94

* - Rookies

[Abe Sargent]

Training Camp Memo

We worked with the following players:

Pocket Presence - QB Jason Gesser, +1 Throwing Accuracy
Precision Passing - QB Marc Bulger, +4 Throwing Accuracy
Clutch Kicking - K Dexter Krause, +4 Kick Accuracy
Coffin Punting - P Matt Turk - No Improvement
Ground Attack - HB Shawn Johnson, +3 Break Tackle, +2 Agility
Catching - WR Craig Campbell, +2 Catching
Swat Ball - CB Aaron Mosling - No Improvement
Trench Fighting - DE Michael Roberts - No Imporovement
Chase and Tackle - FS Drew Copeland, +3 Awareness


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Scouting Memo


Below you will find our evaluations of those players who got better during the preseason.


WR Craig Campbell, +2

TE Herman Miller, +1

LT Brady Allen, +1

C Dedric Arrington, +1
Cris Forrest, +2

RG Brad Green, +1

RT Dave Smith, +2

RE Michael Roberts, +1
Dre Fisk, +2

MLB Colby Solomon, +1
Donny Jones, +1

ROLB Darnay Hill, +1

CB Doug Bronson, +1
Aaron Mosling, +1
Marvin Bates, +1

FS Drew Copeland, +2
Richard Harper, +1

SS Carl Sanders, +1
William Kinney, +2

K Dexter Krause, +1


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

After some negiotiation, we resign the following two players:

C Dedric Arrington, 4 years, 7.5 million, 1.24 bonus

RT Jon Johnson, 4 years, 16 mill, 2.6 bonus


These two players were in the last year of their rookie contract and play at a higher level then their initial salary would indicate. Additionally, locking up each player for an additional three years is a nice feat.

[tucker342]

like always, great stuff:D

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by tucker342
like always, great stuff:D

Thanks a bunch!!!

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Countdown to Vegas Begins

James Boyd, Editorialist
Arizona Times


As the Copperheads season gets nearer, the amount of time Arizona has to enjoy a professional football team decreases.

Some fans have been calling for a boycott of the team and preseason attendance was down despite a 2-2 reord by the Cops.

But really, where does the blame lie? Are those same people who call for a boycott the same ones who voted against building a new stadium? Vegas voted to pay for 60% of the costs of a stadium, we wouldn't even pay half.

The Copperheads didn't even have their own stadium here, instead sharing it with the university. Sun Devil stadium approaches a half a century of age, and instead of building a new site for the Copperheads, we reject stadium proposal after proposal.

I love the Copperheads. I love what they've done with the team,. I love the winning attitude they've made, and you can tell that this team is headed for greatness. But I'm not sure that Arizona deserves the Copperheads.

Last year, when money was tight, the Copperheads received offers from Boston, Mexico CIty and Los Angelos to move there. Instead, owner Abe Sargent rededicated himself to keeping hte Cops here. And then, after another year of failure, he finally decided to move to Vegas. He could have made a lot more money taking the LA relocation bid last year, but he didn't.

The bottom line is that the only people we have to blame are Arizonans. We didn't go to the ball games, we didn't vote for a new stadium and we haven't shown signs of progress. And we are the ones upset by the Copperheads migration?

We have no right to expect a business to remain in a place that no longer is suitable for business. The only person to blame here, is ourselves.

[damnMikeBrown]

Will you draft a QB in the 1st or 2nd round already!?

[Desnudo]

Agreed. If this was real life, you'd be facing 11 men in the box by now. Maybe you should switch Shawn Johnson to QB and run the wishbone :)

[tucker342]

No kidding!!!:D

Why in the hell is Marc Bulger still starting?

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation at a local hot dog stand

"So, at least the Cops won yesterday. Their opening game, vicorious over at Kansas City. What was the score?"

"28-9 but who cares? They're leaving us anyway."

"Not like we gave them a chance. We voted down their stadium proposal."

"Shawn Jay ran for 194 yards under Monte Kiffin's direction. That's unusal. Kiffin usually throws more."

"Yeah, but did you see Jason Gesser at quarterback? Bulger was injured and Gesser had to be put in the game. Kid threw two TDs and 184 yards, no picks. Bulger always throws a ton of picks."

"He didn't yesterday. We had tossed one TD and no interceptions when he was injured."

"That's because he was injured."

"Hmpf."

"I say Gesser should start next week."

"Does anybody even know who the hell Jason Gesser is? One good day substituting in for an injured QB and you call his name?"

"Couldn't be worse than Bulger."

"Sure he could. He could be Jamie Martin."

*Shudders*

[Abe Sargent]

Bulger, Johnson Help to Win Against 49ers


Shalonda Harless
Sports Illustrated


Is Bulger a bad quarterback? Is his play on the field a product of an arrogant owner who trues to do too much? Does it matter?

After all, with Shawn Johnson in the backfield, does any of it matter? Teams put an extra man in the box, Shawn bowls them over, dances around them. Occasionally, Bulger tosses a ball around coverage.

But does it matter? As long as Super Jay is in the backfield, what could any fan want? What could any fan need?

Earlier this week, in their home opener to a frightfully empty stadium, the Copperheads dismantled the 49ers under the owner's playcalling. Bulger threw for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns - one each to Craig Campbell and Deion Branch. He also threw two interceptions, and that proclivity to picks may never end.

And yet, despite that dominating presence by their quarterback, Shawn Jay notched 134 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. The final score was 34-31, and both players were needed to score.

A lot of publicity was made of the game last year where Shawn had over 200 yards rushing and Bulger had 28 yards passing. That's 28 yards passing net, not gross. See, sacks were removed from that total. Bulger lost 71 yards that day to sacks as the defense pounded hard trying to stop Shawn Johnson. He actually passed for 99 yards gross, but no one remembers that stat.

A lot of people also neglect to remember that Arizona won that day. And you can't fault a team for winning.

Do you know how many fans wish that their team would pound it like Arizona does? Fans of teams with great backs but who never seem to use them? The Copperheads admittedly have a running back as their best player and a quarterback nowhere his talent. They have the best offensive line in football. So they play to their strengths.

And they are faulted for it. Yet they have improved every year of the Shawn Watch. 5-11. 8-8. This year they are 2-0 starting out.

Indeed, the Shawn Watch is just getting started. And Bulger couldn't be happier.

[Abe Sargent]

Posts from a fan forum


"Bye Weeks shouldn't come in the 3rd week of the season."

"Gave Richard. that safety from Miami, a chance to get healthy."

"And gave us time to prepare for the mightly 0-3 Cowboys here in Arizona."

"Is Pepper Johnson still calling the defensive plays?"

"Yeah, Abe Sargent said he wanted to groom Pepper for a future head coach position so he'd let Pepper call the defensive plays until the team loses."

"Hmmm."

"Shawn Jay with a big carry."

"Took it to the one"

"Let me predict the next play - Shawn up the gut."

"You were right."

"TD for Super Jay!!!"

"Kickoff, game, boring...."

"Pick! Mosling just picked off Hutchinson."

"Go rookie!"

"Stymied our drive. Three and out"

"Not out, Krause kicked a FG. So Mosling's INT accounted for points."

"Heh, Dallas missed their field goal. Condiff, you suck!!!!"

"It's Cundiff you illiterate bastard."

"Canute with the sack. Oh yeah."

"Too many possession changes. Not enough action"

"Cundiff with a FG. 10-3"

"Damn Krause. You cannot miss a FG from 23 yards!"

"F'in Krause"

"How hard is it to be a kicker. I mean seriously!"

"Could Bulger get through just ONE FREAKING GAME without tossing a gift to the defense?"

"In the red zone too."

"Well, at least nothing came of it."

"Drive, drive, Shawn Jay."

"Krause with another FG. 13-3."

"That's it, force them three and out. Yeah baby!"

"Krause from 57 yards?!? What is Abe smoking?"

"It's going, it's there!"

"DAMN!!! Hit the low crossbar and bounced back. That sucked. 57 yard FG would have been cool."

"Copeland is down."

"They're helping Drew Copeland off the field."

"Geez, Cundiff, could you miss more field goals?"

"Score?"

"13-3"

"Us"

"Bulger!"

"What's the over-under on Bulger throwing two picks a game? I got to get in on this action."

"Heh, Cundiff is lining up for a kick. Should be 54 yards."

"How crazy do you have to be to let a kicker who is a grand 1-4 on the day kick a 54 yarder?"

"Ah, why not? Only down by 10."

"Down by 7 rather."

"Cundiff sucks."

"So, if Cundiff makes it, he sucks, and if he misses, he sucks."

"Yeah, but in different ways :)"

"Ike Charlton with the interception. Way to go D."

"I grow tired of the FG game. Krause lines up.....it's good. 16 to 6"

"Oh yeah, Campbell caught the BOOM!"

"Play Action has become very effective for us recently."

"Yeah, it has. I can remember Bulger and Martin getting sacked everytime they tried PA."

"1:53 left, Dallas is marching."

"Dallas isn't just marching, they're scoring :( 23-13."

"Recover the Onside kick, recover the onside kick, recover the onside kick, recove...."

"We recovered it, not stop flooding. Damn!"

"3-0 Baby!"

[Abe Sargent]

Note in the Phoenix First Baptist Church Bulletin


"And we want to thank our Father for blessing fellow congregation member Dexter Krause and his foot as he kicked the game winning field goal against Seattle in Sunday's overtime victory up north."

[Abe Sargent]

Commericals and Announcements on the FOX NFL Coverage


"Watch as the 4-0 Arizona Copperheads slither into town as Marc Bulger takes on his old team, the 2-3 St. Louis Rams. It's a battle of division rivarlies renewed, today, on FOX."


"Here you can see Shawn Johnson, good ol' Super Jay, carrying the ball. This is his 20th of the day and it brought his total on the ground to 147 yards."

"The Rams are really taking it to the Copperheads, and are now up by 24!"

"With that TD pass, Bulger takes his Copperheads into the fourth quarter down 17 points."

"WR Campbell caught another bomb down in the endzone. That puts him at 200 yards receiving for the day! Arizona scores."

"And with that pass, Bulger cuts the lead to just 3 with 4 minutes still on the clock."

"But Terry Fair fumbles and the ball is lost! The Copperheads lose on special teams after forcing the Rams three and out with 1:38 left on the clock!!!"

"So the final score is Rams 37, Copperheads 34. That was a close one! But the Rams hit .500 while the Copperheads suffer their first loss of the season."

[tucker342]

ouch! tough loss:(

[Abe Sargent]

From NFL.com

NFL Players of the Week


Shawn Johnson:

Against the 4-1 Packers, Monte Kiffin coached a massive performance out of NFL Offensive Player of the Week Shawn Johnson. Shawn rushed for 171 yards, two touchdowns and received another 51 yards. No player had as many yards from scrimmage during Week 7 as Shawn. Shawn, known by some as Shawn Jay or "Super Jay," led his 4-1 Copperheads to victory over the Packers and continued to establish dominance in the NFC.

[Abe Sargent]

The next two weeks:

at San Diego. Win, 34-24
Hosting Rams. Win, 30-26


Week 10 brings a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Copperheads. The new Bidwell team versus the old Bidwell team.

[Abe Sargent]

7-1 Arizona leads the NFC, 8-0 Miami Leads AFC

Mark Tipman
Football.com


After a surprisingly strong start, the Arizona Copperheads have continued their momentum, winning seven of their first eight games to be the top team in the NFC.

In the AFC, the Miami Dolphins were predicted to be one of a few Super Bowls contenders. They lead the league with the only undefeated record.

In the NFC, Arizona has to watch out for 6-2 Seattle and Green Bay. However, two of Arizona's wins came at the expense of Seattle and Green Bay, so they have proven themselves worthy.

The Dolphins have no team breathing down their neck, as the second place AFC team is the Cincinnati Bengals with a 6-2 record. There are six other teams with 5-3 records. So the Dolphins are three games ahead of losing a bye week in the playoffs.

Circle the following game on your calanders for Week 16. The Seattle Seahawks will travel to the Arizona Copperheads. This game could likely decide the division crown, and probably a bye week for the winner.

[Abe Sargent]

Abe Sargent to a Microrecorder

It's week 10 and we have traveled to Minnesota to take on the Vikings, Bidwell's new team. Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Purple, Vikings. We both share the interesting experience of having recently been Cardinals, and both of us are trying toi put that experience behind us.

We win the toss, and I want to play aggressively today, so I told the captains to take the ball if we won. So, we'll start with the ball against the Vikings.

My playcalling for the first quarter is simple. Pound Shawn Jay enough to open up the passing game. Shawn Jay for 9 up the middle on our first play from scrimmage. Shawn Up the middle for 3. Shawn up the middle for 6. Shawn Off Tackle for 5. Shawn Counter Right for 6.

2nd and 4. I call a Play Action pass out of the Strong formation, which is my favorite running formation. The safety bites and I have man on man deep with Craig Campbell. 33 yards and a TD!

7-0

Minnesota goes three and out. Our drive, led mainly by Shawn Jay and small West Coast style passes, is stymied and Krause kicks a 31 yard field goal. 10-0.

Culpepper moves the ball, throwing for two first downs, before we stop them. Richard Harper has a nice punt return which helps us set up a 51 yard attempt by Krause. And he nails it!. It would have been good from at least 55 or 57 yards or so.

13-0 and we are starting to pull away.

Culpepper is hit and fumbles. Monsanto Pope recovers. Shawn Johnson rushes for a TD on that possession. 20-0.

Colby Solomon, our new middle linebacker for this year, picks off Culpepper and runs it into the redzone. TTHe Vikings defense stiffens, and we don't get a single yard. But Krause still knocks a FG through the uprights. 23-0.

And the rout is on. After halftime, Minnesota puts together a decent looking drive that ends in a missed FG.

On third and 11 on the ensuing possession, I call a Singleback passing formation. The TE and 3rd Recevier Streak down field while both X and Z Receivers run straight for around 10 yards, cut in for five yards, then fade out to the sideline. I use the pattern to give my two main receivers two chances each to cut and lose a defender, and that should give Bulger a target. However, it's 3rd and 11 and the defense is in quarters defense. Bulger hikes the ball, but sees double coverage on both of the X and Z receivers. Becht is covered, so Bulger takes his shot at Branden Lloyd, our third receiver. Branden cathes teh ball in single coverage, then breaks three tackles. 43 yards later he is dancing the endzone dance.

30-0.

We exchange some possessions. Then Minnesota puts together its best looking drive of the day. They take the ball to the 22 before stalling. Minnesota lines up for a FG on 4th and 7. Then they spike the ball and its a fake! Fortunately, we sack their QB and its a turnover on downs.

On the ensuing drive, Marc Bulger snaps the ball on 2nd and 8 with a Singleback 3 WR formation where both backs flare out to their respective sides. The pass rush is on heavy, three big guys tear through the middle immediately. Bulger, tosses to his left to his Johnson but Johnson isn't looking for the ball! It hits him square in the middle of his back and the referees rule that it was a lateral!!! The Vikings recover.

I call a challenge. However, on review, it does appear as if Super Jay is a bit behind Bulger. But he just isn't looking for the ball. Did he even sense the rush was on? Shawn, you've got to have better awareness out there than that.

The Vikings recover, but we stop them just outside of FG range at the 42. They punt but its a touchback and we drive the length of the field. Shawn catches a Bulger pass for a TD.

37-0.

We kickoff and wouldn't you know it? Minnesota returns the kickoff for a TD.

37-7. It's later in the fourth quarter, and we are able to run the clock out with Shawn Jay in the backfield.

And we are now 8-1.

[Abe Sargent]

Tipsy Man at a Bar

".....so the Copperheads Lost? Lost?!?! To Chicago, here at home. Man that's sad. What was the score? 24-21? They lost by a FG? Sad. Sad. Wasn't Monte on the schedule to coach today? You'd think that the actual coach would have a better record than the pretend coach-owner...."

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Week 12 at Carolina

We head into Week 12 8-2. Also at 8-2 are the Saints. The Seahawks are still hugging our ass at 7-3.

This week, Bulger burnt all of our timeouts early, and I couldn't use any during the game.

We complete our first drive like I always caoch it. Pound Johnson, pound Johnson some more, and pound Johnson even more - then Play Action pass or Halfback Toss or something. We move down to the 28, but are stalled, so Krause hits a FG. 3-0.

We keep the Panthers toa single first down before getting the ball back. A coordinated and slow 15 play drive ensues that eats up much of the first quarter and is capped with a Craig Campbell TD. 10-0.

The Panthers fail to panic, putting together their own 12 play drive that ends in an aerial TD. 10-7.

We take the ball and slowly inch our way back. Pass here, run there, run here, pass here. Pass to Becht. pass to Lloyd. Pass to Hodgins. Run by Hodgins. Run by Johnson, Run by Johnson Run by Hodgins, Play Action pass to Branch. Pass to Herman Miller. TD pass to Branch. 17-7 with 58 seconds left in the half.

The Panthers try to get on the board by halftime. Pass #1 incomplete. Pass #2 complete for two yards. Pass #3 is PICKED OFF BY AARON MOSLING!!!!!

With 42 seconds left, we have the ball in excellent position, so I decide to crush the Panthers right then and there. 24 seconds later, Bulger hits Becht over the middle for a TD.

Halftime score 24-7.

Bulger tosses a pick on our first drive of the half. The Intercaption is returned all the way for a TD. 24-14.

On the following drive, Marc Bulger injures his head and Jason Gesser comes in. I call a bunch of runs and the occasional short throw. We are forced to punt. We then stop the Panthers cold - three and out.

Terry Fair steps back to receive the punt. He heads left up the sideline, 5 yards, 10 yards, 12 yards, Oh, he's hit by the Panthers hard and the ball pops up! The Panthers recover and drive to the red zone only to be met with fierce resistance and forced to kick a FG. 24-17.

And suddenly, just like that, it's starts to feel a little hot here in Carolina. I summon my offense starters and I tell them, straight up, that the way to end this mini-comeback from the Panthers is to do so, now. Calmy answer their score, and put them down by 14 again.

One play, two plays, three plays. Pass to Johnson, run by Johnson, pass to Campbell. Gesser QB Sneak, run by Johnson, run by Hodgins.

15 plays - 79 yards. FB Blast out of the Strong Formation by Hodgins. TD.

31-17.

And that would be the end of Carolina's momentum.

Bulger came back in for the fourth quarter, but you could tell that we had burst the balloon. I could have started myself at quarterback and we would have finished out the game in victory.

Doug Bronson is injured for the rest of the game and Ike Charlton fills in.

Mosling again picks off Carolina's rookie QB Rich. Mosling returns the ball to the 7. Super Jay cathes a TD from Bulger. 38-17.

The Panthers manage a superfluous TD with 1:24 remianing to make the score a more respectable 38-24.

Some final numbers on the day:

Bulger tossed 4 TDs, 1 Int, 176 yards.
S. Jay ran for 126 yards and a receiving TD

[Abe Sargent]

Excerpt from ESPN.com

NFC rankings:


Saints (10-2) - The Saints just continue to roll after continued wins against division foes the Falcons and Buccaneers. They have the Panthers this week, who were sent into a tailspin after their loss to Arizona two weeks ago. They kept every game close so far, but after that one, they dropped a game to Detroit last week and lost by 31 points. The Saints are in the driver's seat for the NFC.

Copperheads (9-3) - After their shocking loss at home last week in front of the first crowded Sun Devil Stadium in years to the Raiders, the Copperheads must be reeling. They only scored 9 points.

Seahawks (9-3) - The Seahawks have continued to put pressure on the Copperheads, who have lost two of their last three games. Although the Coppreheads are in the lead now due to them defeating the Seahawks earlier in the season, Seattle has one last chance to make a move in Week 16. I am sure they have circled their calanders.

......

[damnMikeBrown]

Finish the season & get to FA & the draft already! Enough of these games! Bring on the fresh meat!

[Abe Sargent]

Against the 7-5 Lions in Detroit the Cops have no recourse. S. Jay gets a little over 100 yards, the Cops give up the ball three times, twice on fumbles, and Detroit lambastes Arizona 38-21.

Then the Copperheads take their show to San Francisco to play the 8-5 49ers. Coached by Monte, the team emerges victorious 27-16.

That brings up the highly anticipated matchup this week between the Seahawks and the Copperheads. 10-4 Arizona hosts 9-5 Seattle in a battle for NFC West Supremacy.

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Week 16 Game versus the Seahawks.

We hosted Seattle this week. It's our last home game of the regular season, so I decided to declare it Fan Appreciation Day. We handed out free Tee Shirts to everybody. Therefore, we had a full house.

Playing in front of our very first sold out game in my tenure! It was nice.

Seattle wins the toss and chose to kickoff. We start with the ball. I call a pass to Branden Lloyd for 9 yards to start the game. After a few more first downs, Shawn Johnson scampers in for a TD.

Seattle goes three and out and is forced to punt. Things are looking our way from the get go.

Until the most controversial call, or "non-call" is made. Seattle punts, and Terry Fair gets back to field the punt. He does not call for a fair catch because he has two blockers and just one Seahawk in front of him. However, that Seahawks jukes past the defender and grabs and pulls Terry Fair before the ball lands. The ball hits Fair, who can't catch it because the Seahawk has a hold of Terry's right hand and is pulling him around. Another Seahawk lands on the ball.

And there is NO PENALTY ON THE PLAY. None. No personal foul, nothing. Seattle has the ball with great field position and the crowd in the stands is livid.

Our defense stops the Seahawks and they have to settle for a Field Goal.

Seattle stops us, then creates their first long drive of the day for a TD. 10-7 Seattle.

I feel momentum slipping from us. As such, I call a FG attempt on 3rd and 7 for a 57 yard attempt. Krause has the distance, but not the angle, and it's wide left.

Seattle puts together a mini-drive and tries their own FG from 50 yards but its wide right barely missing the goalpost.

We start running, pounding the ball behind Shawn Jay. Then I call a Play Action pass, but Bulger is picked off by Seattle.

Seattle drives, and drives, getting to the 19 before Copeland picks off Hasselbeck. Whew! We begin our own drive, and Bulger finds Campbell in the endzone after 12 plays and 71 yards.

14-10 at the half.

We stop Seattle after I call every defensive play from the Dime formation in order to get the speed on the field to stop Shaun Alexander.

We have a few plays, then on Seattle's 33, I call another Play Action pass. Bulger hits Deion Branch in the endzone for a 21-10 score.

Seattle answers with another long drive after my Dime strategy fails. 21-17.

I call a run by S. Jay from the Strong formation, my favorite for running. Six yards. On 2nd and 4, I call the third Play Action pass of the day. One was a pick, the other a TD. This one is a 51 yard completion to Campbell as he beats coverage down the left side but is run down by a safety. I call a Singleback play where the Slot Receiver (Branden Lloyd) heads straight for the sideline. He runs for the sideline, miles away from the linebacker assigned to cover him. Bulger hits him, and he runs the 9 yards into the endzone.

28-17 Cops.

Seattle starts another drive. On 2nd and 8, I call a Dime defensive formation again. Hasselbeck tosses an interception to our Dimeback, CB Bates.

We drive, but are stalled on the 3 yard line and kick a FG. 31-17.

With 7:03 on the game, Seattle creates a huge play down the left sideline, Doug Bronson runs down their WR Simms at the 14. They score three plays later. 31-24.

We then start our own drive, running and occasionally passing. We run off a lot of time, but are forced to punt at the Two Minute Warning.

Seattle drives quickly, completing every pass despite our defense and scores the tying TD with 1:07 left!

They kickoff and we get the ball.

I call an ACE Streaks from the Singleback Big Formation. Bulger hits Herman Miller who breaks three tackles and rumbles for 28 yards. Timeout.

11 yard pass to Branch on an out pattern, but he is tackled in bounds. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. No timeouts called.

I run Shawn Jay twice, being in FG range. After our second run, with 29 seconds left, Seattle is flagged for a flagrant facemask. 15 yards.

FB Hodgins run, HB Shawn Jay run to place the ball, and from the 10 yard line, with 0:08 on the clock, and 3rd down. We have a Timeout and a down in case something goes awry.

Krause's kick is good! 34-31 with 5 seconds left.

Seattle is tackled in three seconds, and sacked on their last play.

And we win!!!

We are now 11-4. We have not secured a Bye Week. We are currently in 2nd, but Green Bay is third with 10-5. If we lose next week and Green Bay wins, we'll not have a Bye Week.

A few important stats from the game:

HB Shawn Johnson, 102 yards, 1 TD
QB Marc Bulger, 291 yards, 3 TDs, 1 Int

[Abe Sargent]

NFL 2 Night, Playoff Edition

Suzy: So tell me about the Copperheads.

Mike: These guys have finally hit their stride in the passing game. Their first year, with Jamie Martin, it was all passing. Antonio Freeman and Qadry Ismail both had 1000 yard receiving seasons and Jamie Martin almost threw for 3000 yards despite never starting a season in his long career.

Then the Copperheads found their ground game with Shawn Johnson, who could be the best player in the NFL right now. He might be the best halfback ever. But their passing game was anemic for two years.

But this year, they found their passing game while keeping their running game the best in the league. And the result has been a playoff season with a division win and a Bye week.

Marc Bulger threw for over 3000 yards and for the first time in his Arizona career, he had more TD passes than interceptions.

Shawn Johnson had a second consecutive season with over 2000 yards rushing, with a total of 2097 yards.

Sophomore receiver Craig Campbell notched 1004 yards and 8 TDs in his second season. New receiver Deion Branch had 11 TDs and 892 yards.

All five Offensive Linemen are in the running for the Pro Bowl.

And that gives you a powerful offensive force.

Sean Salisbury: In fact, the Copperheads have proven themselves against tough opponents. Here are the teams they played with a record above .500

San Francisco twice, record of 9-7.
In Detroit with a record of 9-7.
In Denver with a record of 11-5
Seattle twice, record of 10-6.
At Lambeau Field when the Packers are 10-6.

They came from a tough division and they beat a lot of quality opponents on the road. You don't normally see teams get Bye weeks with a schedule like this out of a division like the NFC West.

Suzy: And that's certainly true. So, where do the Copperheads go from here?

Mike: You mean besides Las Vegas?

Sean: Hehehe. I think the Copperheads will be the NFC representative this year in the Super Bowl. The only thing that will stop them is if Bulger's proclivity towards tossing picks catches up with them. Or if their defense allows too many points. One or the other.

Mike: I see them in the NFC Championship, sure. But I think that the Saints have what it takes to hold onto their number one seed and make the Super Bowl.

Suzy: Well, we'll see how it all breaks down, in the playoffs.

[Abe Sargent]

Playoffs, Wild Card Weekend:

Colts at Titans

Lions at Packers

Browns at Bengals

Seahawks at Redskins



Titans over Colts, 31-12
Packers over Lions, 47-3
Bengals over Browns, 35-10
Seahawks over Redskins, 19-16



Divisional Matchups:

Bengals at Dolphins

Seahawks at Saints

Titans at Broncos

Packers at Cardinals

[Abe Sargent]

Statline of Copperheads Victory over Green Bay, 59-28 (coached by owner Abe Sargent)

Horse Trailer Player of the Game - WR Craig Campbell, 5 catches, 161 yards, 3 TDs

QB Marc Bulger, 248 yards, 4 TDs, 1 Int

HB Shawn Johnson, 181 Yards rushing, 2 TDs

CB Ike Charlton, Int and Int TD


Other games:

Miami over Cincinnati 20-10

Saints over Seahawks 31-13

Broncos over Titans 26-17

[Abe Sargent]

AP Wire 4:21 pm

Running Back Shawn Johnson has suffered a broken ankle and is out for the playoffs for the Arizona Copperheads. This injury occured during the first minutes of the NFC Championship Game against the Saints. Coach Monte Kiffin is calling the plays.


AP Wire 7:13 pm

The New Orleans Saints have advanced to the Super Bowl after defeating the Arizona Copperheads 21-15 after star running back for Arizona was injured early, turning Arizona into a one-dimenstional offense.

[Abe Sargent]

Your Super Bowl:


The Miami Dolphins, AFC Conference Champions

vs

The New Orleans Saints, NFC Conference Champions


...
...
...
...


Miami 13

New Orleans 0


Miami pitches a Shut Out Super Bowl!!

[Abe Sargent]

Season Stats:


QB Marc Bulger, 3081 yards, 28 TDs, 24 Ints

HB Shawn Johnson, 2097 yards rushing, 19 rush TDs, 57 catches for 458 yards and 5 TDs

WR Craig Campbell, 53 catches for 1004 yards, 9 TDs
WR Deion Branch, 63 grabs for 892 yards and 11 TDs

RT Jon Johnson, 90 Pancakes, 13 SkA
RG Leon Searcy, 84 Pans, 7 SkA
C Dedric Arrington, 73 Pans, 6 SkA
LT Kwame George, 67 Pans, 6 SkA
LG Mike Bibla, 61 Pans, 2 SkA

SS Carl Sanders, 88 Tacks, 4 TFL, 3 Sacks, 2 Int, 3 FF, 1 FumRec
LOLB Canute Curtis, 79 Tacks, 4 TFL, 5 Sacks, 2 FF, 1 FumRec
ROLB John Thierry, 76 Tacks, 13 TFL, 5 Sacks, 1 Int, 4 FF, 2 FumRec
RE Michael Roberts, 20 Tacks, 7 TFL, 8 Sacks, 1 FF, 3 FumRec
LE Chidi Ahanotu, 40 Tacks, 11 TFL, 7 Sacks, 1 FF, 2 FumRec
CB Aaron Mosling, 47 Tacks, 1 TFL, 6 Ints, 2 FF
FS Drew Copeland, 56 Tacks, 3 TFL, 4 Ints, 2 FF

K Dexter Krause, 26 of 36 FGs, 49 of 49 XPs

[Abe Sargent]

Awards:

QB Marc Bulger:

NFC Best QB (#5)


HB Shawn Johnson:

NFL MVP
NFL Offensive Player of the Year
NFL Best RB


RT Jon Johnson:

NFL Best O-Lineman


RG Leon Searcy:

NFL Best O-Lineman (Runner Up)


C Dedric Arrington:

NFC Best O-Lineman (4th)


CB Aaron Mosling:

NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year (Runner Up)


K Dexter Krause:

NFC Best Kicker (#3)


Monte Kiffin:

NFL Coach of the Year


Pro-Bowl:

HB Shawn Johnson won, but lost his spot due to injury

FB James Hodgins
LT Kwame George
LG Martin Bibla
C Dedric Arrington
RG Leon Searcy (Second Most Votes of any NFC Player)
RT Jon Johnson (Most Votes of any NFC Player)

CB Aaron Mosling
SS Carl Sanders

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Have All Five Offensive Linemen in Pro Bowl


Bernard Stevensworth
Football.com

It is a well known phoenomenon that the voting for players to the NFL Pro Bowl is biased. Many fans don't appreciate the subtelty of blocking, Fullbacks, punting, and so forth. Oh, it's easy enough to tell who the good receiver or running back is, but the blocker?

We know that some stats, like sacks and interceptions, are more important than fumbles forced, tackles, and less flashy statistics. We know that voters often vote on reputation. We know that some voters wait a year before voting for a player. Otherwise Shawn Johnson would have been voted in his first year.

It is also a well known and well documented phoenomenon that successful running backs often have their lineman voted to the Pro Bowl. One back will travel to Hawaii with his favorite tackle, another back his reliable guard, and so forth.

But has a running back ever taken his entire starting offensive line? Has an entire offensive line ever been voted to the Pro Bowl?

Oh sure, the Copperheads are the best offensive line this year. Sure, Shawn Johnson had his second consecutive 2000 yard season, a feat never before accomplished. Sure, the Copperheads had four players voted in last year.

But Richmond Webb retired, Martin Bibla has never been a Pro Bowl caliber guard and Kwame George is a rookie.

Speaking of which, if a rookie doesn't go to the Pro Bowl, then what business does he have winning Offensive Rookie of the Year over a rookie who does?

Kwame George is an offensive player who made the Pro Bowl. And he wasn't in the top five vote getters for NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year? No other offensive rookie made it to the Pro Bowl. What do we need to do to recognize the guys in teh trenches?

Admit it, no linemen will ever be so much as nominated for an offensive award. What a crazy bias we have.

So I guess it makes sense that our system is as biased as we are.

I guess.

[Abe Sargent]

Las Vegas Copperheads Balance Sheet:

The move to Vegas is complete! Here is the Balance Sheet. It would have been much worse if we hadn't had the great season that we did.


Income:

Ticket Sales - 41.65
Concessions - 4.65
Parking - 2.85
Merchandise - 4.15
NFL Shared Revenue - 75.1
Relocation Income - 150k

Total Income - 131.95 million

Expenses:

Player Salaries - 62.25
Staff Salaries - 6.55
Stadium Payment - 134.20
Fan Appreciation Day - 200k

Total Expenses - 203.20 million

Year 2006 Net Income - (71.25 million)

Total Assets - (54.25 million)


From here on out, it should be relatively smooth sailing. We hope.


-Frankinnoble
VP of Administration

[Abe Sargent]

Progression Memo


The Internal Scouts have assessed the following players as having changed during the course of the year. The number that follows is their change in overall grade, out of 100.

QB Marc Bulger, +3
Jason Gesser, +1
Tim Levcik, -6

HB Shawn Johnson, +1
Quentin Griffin, -8
Derrick Blaylock, -6

WR Craig Campbell, +3
Deion Branch, +1
Brandon Lloyd, +1
Troy Edwards, -5
Terrence Wilkins, -2

TE Anthony Becht, +2
Herman Miller, +3

LT Kwame George, +6

LG Martin Bibla, +2

C Dedric Arrington, +2

RG Leon Searcy, +2

RT Jon Johnson, +3

LE Chidi Ahanotu, +2
Joey Williams, +2

RE Michael Roberts, +3
Dre Fisk, +1

DT Sean Nelson, -1

LOLB Canute Curtis, +2
Eddie Shakur, -1

MLB Colby Solomon, +5
Donny Jones, +2

ROLB Darnay Hill, +1
Kendall Ortiz, +2

CB Doug Bronson, +2
Aaron Mosling, +5
Ike Charlton, +2
Marvin Bates, +3
Tyrone Carter, -9

FS Drew Copeland, +5
Richard Harper, +4

SS Carl Sanders, +4
William Kinney, +3

K Dexter Krause, +2


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Coach Notes:


ESPN.com INsider

Las Vegas Copperheads - Owner Abe Sargent announced that Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman was promoted to head coach. Pepper Johnson and Gunther Cunningham will remainat their positions. Mike McCarthy was hired as the new offensive coordinator after serving for years in that capacity with the New Orleans Saints.

Seattle Seahawks - In talks with Monte Kiffin, Seattle......

[Abe Sargent]

The Following Copperheads Retired:

ROLB John Thierry
TE Cam Cleeland
CB Terry Fair

[Abe Sargent]

Roster Assessment:


Internal Scouting's assessment on the current roster status. THis analysis is by position.


QB - Only Marc Bulger is under contract, and only for one more year. Marc had his best year with us last year, and we see no reason for him to continue. However, we need to protect ourselves against possible future problems with Marc. We need a young quarterback to develop cheaply to replace Marc in the event of emergency or bad play. Recommendation - Resign Marc to a modest, short-term contract now in order to avoid a more expensive contract next year if Marc continues to play as well as he has, which we feel he will. Find two quarterbacks, one young, one bench warmer.

RB - Shawn Johnson is entering his last season under his rookie contract. I don't need to tell you that he had to remain a Copperhead in order for our team to function. Resign him now to avoid a messy contract later. Shaun Davis is under contract, but at least one more back is needed for depth. Fullback James Hodgins is in his last year, but resigning him is not imperative. Backup Bernie Norton is nothing special, and could be released if necessary without causing roster issues. Recommendation - Resign Shawn Jay, find a backup halfback.

Receiver - Craig Campbell, Deion Branch, and Brandon Lloyd are all under contract for 2 or 3 years each. We believe that these three receivers represent the best receiver corps this team has ever had. Special teams players and the like should fill out the last two roster spots, and there's no need to find other wideouts. Recommendation - Do not disturb the top three positions, but find two special teams contributors.

Tight End - Anthony Becht is under contract for two more years. He is never a good TE, but he is serviceable. A better TE would be handy. If cheap, resigning Herman Miller might be beneficial, as he was our best recieving TE during his years with us. Recommendation - Look into resigning Herman Mille,r find another TE.

Offensive Tackle - Kwame George and Jon Johnson are both Pro Bowl starters under contract for the long term. Both backups are likewise under contract for two years each. Nothing needs to be down here.

Offensive Guard - Although RG Leon Searcy went to his third consecutive Pro Bowl he is not under contract, and he is older at age 37. Resigning him to a short one year contract while finding a long term answer at the position is wise. LG Martin Bibla is decent, but not spectacular. We have two backups at the RG spot under contract. Recommendation - Resign Searcy to a one year deal, and find a future starter or go blind into the draft and free agency without a proven starter at the position. Depending on how many RGs we end up with, we may want a backup LG.

Center - Dedric Arrington is under a long term contract but Cris Forrest is out. All we need here is a backup.

Defensive End - Only RE Michael Roberts is under contract, but we have him for three more years. Chidi Ahanotu is another aging player, who has performed well. There is no reason why Chidi cannot continue to play well. Also, we need backups. Recommendation - Resign Chidi for a one or two year contract. Draft or sign backups at both end spots, at least one of which shoul dbe halfway decent.

Defensive Tackles - All four of our defensive tackles are under contract. Martin, Fryar and Nelson are entering their last year. We may want a young backup, if space allows.

Outside Linebackers - Canute Curtis continues to develop. We have only backup Kendall Ortiz under contract on the right side. This is an area of serious need. Recommendation - Find a permanent starter on the right side, and a backup in the left.

Middle Linebacker - Colby Solomon proved that he is worthy to start in the NFL. He is no longer under contract, but he should be. Donny Jones is a good bacup, under contratc for two more years. Recommendation - Resign Donny Jones.

Cornerback - All five of our corners are under contract for this year, although Ike and Doug are in the last year of their contracts. Doug will need to be wrapped up beyond this year, but Ike is aquestion mark, Recommendation - Extend Doug Bronson's contract. Maybe Ike's, but probably not.

Safeties - Drew Copeland started for us last year and proved himself very well. He is out of his rookie contract, so signing him back would be highly beneficial. If he is too expensive, we recommend going with second year man Richard Harper, who has developed very well. Carl Sanders had a Pro Bowl year at strong safety and is entering his final year. The same rule applies. William Kinney, our backup at the position, has developed into a very good safety, and could start for some teams. He is out of a contract, but we wouldn't be upset if he was resigned for us for a cheap price. Recommendation - Sign Drew Copeland if he's cheap enough, if not, find a backup to Richard. Extend Carl's contract and find a backup at the strong spot.

Kickers - Dexter Krause continues to develop. We have him locked for 3 years. Matt Turk's contract expired, and we feel that he should be resigned.


HOLDOUTS -

The following players are holding out for a better contract:

LG Martin Bibla
LOLB Canute Curtis

Both players are under contract for two more years. We suggest extending contract or meeting demands only if they are small. Both players are deemed replaceable.


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Administrative Memo


We signed a Stadium Name Deal with WuxCom for one year. If we win 14 games, then we receive 8.8 million. After this year, we may sign a longer term deal with a company for the naming rights of the Stadium. But, for this year, it's WuxCom Stadium.

I don't even know what WuxCom makes or sells.

Anyway, we resigned the following players:

MLB Colby Solomon, 3 years, 8 million total with 1.32 bonus

FS Drew Copeland, 3 years, 5 million, 780k bonus

LE Chidi Ahanotu, 1 year, 1.6 million, 480k bonus

RG Leon Searcy, 1 year, 1.75 million, 500k bonus

TE Herman Miller, 2 years, 1.35 million, 240k bonus


We also dealt with holdout Martin Bibla the LG position. We signed a new contract for 4 years, 6.2 million, with a 1.08 million bonus.


As per your request, we left Canute Curtis aloneand will let you address his holdout directly.

-Frankinnoble
VP of Administration

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation between Abe Sargent and Canute Curtis

Abe Sargent: Thank you for meeting with me Canute.

Canute Curtis: I just want to get this taken care of.

Abe: We all do. Frankly, I am hurt by your holdout. We just signed a market value contract for you last year, and yet you are holding out on me. Why?

Canute: I just want to get paid my fair share.

Roosevelt Barnes: Canute feels that his current contract....

Abe: Roosevelt, with all due respect, I like you as an agent. If I were to give up being an owner and get hired as a GM somewhere, you are one of the three or four agents I would consider hiring.

Roosevelt: Well thank you sir...

Abe: But, having said that, you are here strictly as a favor to Canute. He trusts your wisdom, so I am allowing you to observe, and that way have all of the information, but this is a man-to-man conversation between Canute and myself, and if you can't be a silent observer and respect that, then I will ask you to leave. Understood?

Roosevelt: Yes sir.

Abe: Canute, this is your tenth year as a pro, correct?

Canute: Yessir.

Abe: Why would you holdout now? I mean, I could understand if your market value had changed. If you had led our team in tackles, registered 8 or 10 sacks, made the Pro Bowl, then I could understand you holding out. But that wasn't the case.

Canute: I have gotten better.

Abe: What player doesn't? Of course you have. But if I were to negiotiate a new contract from your after holding out because you got a bit better as a player, what's to prevent half my starters next year from doing the same?

Canute: I don't know.

Abe: Who were the starters on our defense four years ago? The free agents that we picked up?

Canute: What?

Abe: Who were the starters with you?

Canute: Me, John Thierry and Bryan Cox at linebacker, Deion Sanders and Eric Davis at corner, Marcus Robertson and Blaine Bishop at safety, Chester McGlockton and Steve Martin inside and Chidi Ahanotu and Kendrick Office outside. Why?

Abe: When those 11 players were announced as our starters, how many do you think the avergae football fan recognized? Most of them know nine of those players. You and Kendrick were the two unknowns, the two career backups.

I started you. Before you came to us, you were a career backup and speicial teams player. Since your arrival, you have started for four seasons. You have developed a reputation around the league for being a solid player, the sort of player that every team wants in the positions where they don't have stars.

Canute: So?

Abe: You are not a star. Let me ask you another question, how many starts did you have before you came here? How many games did you start in five years with Cincinnati?

Canute: Four.

Abe: And since you've come here, you have started every regular season game. 64 starts plus two post season starts. 66 starts total. Compared to four.

Canute: I'm not saying I'm not grateful...

Abe: Aren't you? In five years with Cincinnati, you played for what? 3.5 million total? 3 million total? In four years with us you've made 8 million and you are signed for two more years for another 3 million. That's a fair market deal, and you are tryign to change it.

Canute: I'm a better player than my contract.

Abe: No, Shawn Johnson is a better player than his contract. Two consecutive 2000+ yard seasons and an 1800+ yard season. He is entering the last year of his rookie contract and he is not holding out. If anybody has the right to claim they are better than their contract, it's Shawn. But he's not the one I am sitting across from right now, having this conversation with, is he?

Canute: No...

Abe: There are four players left from our first year. Chidi Ahanotu and Leon Searcy were signed for one year contracts, and Steve Martin is in his last year of his contract. You are the only one of the original group to be under contract for longer than a year. Want to know how much Leon Searcy signed for?

Canute:.....

Abe: He's been to three consecutive Pro Bowls for us, and been a blocker for all three of Shawn Johnson's big seasons. He signed for 1.75 million. 1.75 Million! And here you are, holding out for an 8 million dollar contract?

Did you notice that you are the one most likely to remain from that initial group the longest? That out of a roster full of "has beens" and "never weres," you would become the shining pickup? The one that rose to the occasion and became a fixture at linebacker? That you would be remembered, not for greatness, because that is not your destiny, but for consistency?

Canute: ....

Abe: Take a few days to think about why you are holding out. But, I'll be honest with you. Up front and honest. I have been loyal and faithful to you. I haven't drafted or signed any competetion for your roster spot. And last year, we agreed to a fair market value contract for your services. Your value has not changed simply because we made it to the NFC Championship. Would a man back out of a contract like that? Because, I have no intention of tearing up a fair and equitable contract simply because you want more money or you think you are a bit better. That would apply to most of our starters and backups on the team. A fair contract is what we have.

Thank you both for meeting with me, I'll see you soon, I'm sure.

Canute: Thanks for giving this your personal attention.

Abe: Sure thing. Roosevelt, here's your coat.

Roosevelt: Thanks.

Abe: Bye.

[KevinNU7]

Wow

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by KevinNU7
Wow


I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks!!!


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Hardcore Football, Fox Sports Net, Combine Edition


Bill Maas: Next up is an interview with Copperheads owner Abe Sargent. He'll talk about the draft, and maybe we'll ask a few question about Vegas, the new digs for the Copperheads.


Bill Maas: Ok, we're back and Ron Pitts is in the studio with Abe Sargent, Ron?

Ron Pitts: Thanks Bill. I'm here with owner Abe Sargent, who recently relocated his Copperheads to Las Vegas. How's the new house?

Abe Sargent: Heh, it's big. And we love our new State of the Art stadium. It'll be a house of pain for our enemies but joy for our fans. We may continue to tinker with it and make it better after a few years once we've paid our debt.

Ron: Excellent. Now, let's talk draft. You had no talent, scouting, or GM experience prior to purchasing the Cardinals, correct?

Abe: That's right, I was an administrator for Eastern Michigan University. I put together a financial package from various elements and purchased the team.

Ron: Who calls the shots on draft day?

Abe: I do. However, Mike Ackerly, our coach, and Vic Ketchman all have significant input. Typically, Mike Ackerly, our director of scouting, does the most legwork and knows the most about the players.

Ron: What happens when there is conflict?

Abe: No conflict is bigger than the team. Everything is kept cordial. I'll listen to differing opinions and make a decision. For example, we chose not to resign punter Matt Turk, despite Mike Ackerly wanting us to keep him. But I felt that a 39 yard old punter would not be with us much longer and we needed to get younger at the position. On the other hand, Mike suggested that we resign our backup tight end Herman Miller. I wouldn't have done that before he recommended it, and his points and logic made sense, so we brought Herman back.

Ron: Interesting. Let's move towards the draft. In your fitst three drafts, you've uncovered 7 players who have already gone to the Pro Bowl. That's just amazing.

Abe: And it hasn't ended yet. Before their careers are up, both Craig Campbell and Michael Roberts will have been to Pro Bowls.

Ron: What about Richard Harper?

Abe: If we had started Richard last year, he would have been one of the worst safeties starting in the league. If we started him this year, he would be in the bottom third. But in two years? Who knows? However, we are set at the position with Drew Copeland.

Ron: Here is the Pro Bowl list: Strong Safety Carl Sanders, Left Tackle Kwame George, Right Tackle Jon Johnson, Center Dedric Arrington, Halfback Shawn Johnson, and Cornerbacks Doug Bronson and Aaron Mosling.

Abe: And we will continue to build.

Ron: How can you do this?

Abe: By drafting with a best available player approach. Each round, we look at the players who we have higher grades on. We draft from the list of players who have fallen almost exclusively. By doing that, we end up with a more talented draft class than many teams.

Ron: What aboput drafting for need?

Abe: Obviously we aren;t drafting another kicker, no matter how highly we may revere a kicker who has fallen. But, experience has shown that you can never have enough talent on your team. Although we will prioritize players who have fallen based on position, we will also draft good players left.

Ron: In your first three drafts, you only selected one receiver and no quarterbacks despite having large opening at both positions. Why?

Abe: The league has put this huge emphasis on receivers and quarterbacks in the draft. Quarterbacks with nothing better than a fourth round talent are going early in teh second round. Receivers with third round talent are falling off the board in the first, and so forth. The league, in my estimation, overvalues these positions, and I am not going to hurt the integrity of my roster by reaching for players.

Ron: So, you fill from free agency?

Abe: Exactly. Receiver is the most egregious offender. I can understand wanting to lock up a quarterback cheaply for several years in one system with one team, and the reaching isn't too bad, and the free agent market isn't that good. But the receivers? There are sacds of good, quality receivers on the free agent market annually. We picked up our number one and three receivers last year from free agency and both are doing very well with us. Our number three man, Brandon Lloyd, was a post free agent auction pickup off the ubiquitous scrap heap. I have no idea why GMs are reaching for receivers early, but it hurts their draft class.

Ron: And who can argue with your success?

Abe: Lots of people. GMs don't like me challenging the system because it's like an outsider attacking the establishment. And they don't like me having such a tremendous initial success because it hurts their position. After all, if I, a country bumpkin from rural West Virginia, can do it, can't anybody? Remember, I drafted and pulled the trigger on every draftee, and we ended up with a lot of talent.

Ron: Unpredecented talent. That so many Pro Bowlers would come so quickly.

Abe; Remember that they were pushed into starting jobs early. I purged the roster, scouring it clean. So these rookies have often started earlier than they might for other teams, thus accelerating their growth. Our fans may not have ever realised it, but we needed those few years of bad teams and bad memories, in order to create what we have now.

Ron: One last question. What is the right way to develop a team?

Abe: Through youth. Keep your good players, don't let young active starters leave your team. Keep your talent, and continue to draft more talent. A young team will age together, and get better together. The Copperheads are very young and getter younger. And because of that, they may stumble. But this is a team that just went to the NFC Championship and has no reason not to repeat next year in Vegas. It's all about have a team that's getting better, not getting older.

Ron: Alright, thanks a bunch for speaking candidly with us here on Hardcore Football.

Abe: Thanks for having me Ron.

[Abe Sargent]

I'd like to take a second to correct a few spelling errors I've made.

Firstly, it's Franklinnoble, not Frankinnoble. I know that, yet I've made the mistake several times. Sorry about that, buddy.

Secondly, it's Mike Ackerley, not Ackerly. Sorry about that Mr. Ackerley. I'm not going to go back and correct my errors, I'm just going to plow ahead and pretend that they were never made.


-Anxiety